Along with the mass move in of students, comes all of the germs.
While few people come to campus sick, by the third week of school many students will have colds, said McKinley Health Center Medical Director Dr. David Lawrance.
Like the H1N1 virus on campus last year, it only takes a few people to have germs for it to multiply out and spread.
“I think a lot of times being in close quarters with other people can help illness travel a lot faster,” said former Newman Hall resident advisor Mary Kate Norton.
Hand sanitizers can be the solution to this problem as the alcohol in them kills a lot of the cold virus germs. Many Purell stations were set up last year when the H1N1 “scare” happened and have been left in place.
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There are several drawbacks to antibacterial gels such as drying out the skin if used in excess. Gels also won’t remove dirt or grime from hands and sometimes they don’t remove all of the germs. The best way to clean hands is with just regular soap and water, Lawrance said.
“Soap and water is still an excellent product,” Lawrance said. “But you can’t carry soap and water around with you.”
However, some prefer washing their hands with soap to get the feeling of grease and food off their hands.
Tab Atkin, sophomore in LAS, agrees, stating that she likes to use soap and water more than antibacterial gel because she feels like she is washing away the germs, rather than just having them dead on her hands.
While a number of people think that over sanitizing their hands is bad, for fear of “super” bacteria, according to Lawrance there is really no such thing as over-cleaning your hands.
To prevent germs from spreading, Lawrance recommends that students should cough into their sleeves, frequently wash their hands and not share drinks. He also advises students who are sick to just stay home and keep their distance from other people so as not to spread the germs around.
Norton said she always advised her residents to wash their hands constantly once flu season starts.
Atkin isn’t worried about getting sick, although she does comment that she used hand sanitizer more on campus than when she is sick.
“I don’t know if it helps, but I haven’t gotten sick yet, so I must be doing something right,” Atkin said.
