With influenza (flu) season approaching, many Woodside students are beginning to experience the first symptoms that come with the transition from fall to winter.
“Flu season” usually occurs between October and February. According to Kaiser Permanente, 200,000 people stay in the hospital due to the flu every year. Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to lessen your chances of getting sick.
When students don’t take the necessary precautions to keep themselves healthy, they are more prone to quickly getting ill.
“I have had several students come up with symptoms of the flu,” Woodside biology teacher Ilka Handler explained. She added that “there has to be self-awareness” in regards to the health of Woodside students.
Many students that are getting the flu say that missing school is a burden because they have to make up work.
“It was awful because if you get the flu, as a working person, you are missing a lot of work over something that could have been prevented,” said sophomore Carlos Osuna. “I wish that I could have just gotten my flu shot because having the flu was awful.”
Many students are trying not to contract anything and are take extra precautions to be healthy after hearing students with the illness describe their experiences.
“I couldn’t move, and I was bed-ridden. I felt powerless and as if something had taken over my body,” Osuna explained. “I would never wish the flu upon anyone for any reason. It is a horrible sickness, and even though doctors supply free flu shots, people don’t take advantage of those opportunities.”
