Law Students

Are You on ?The List??

By Casebook Sherpa

H1N1 hysteria has hit our school. We’re not exceptional in that regard. Every other school in the United States are (appropriately?) paranoid about outbreaks of what my cousin calls Piglet’s Revenge.

What’s interesting though is that students who call the University to inquire about receiving a flu shot through the school’s health office are immediately asked about what symptoms, if any, they might have. Then, if the student mentions any of several symptoms (particularly headache and/or fever) the university’s doctor will call them back. If there is any suggestion of H1N1 symptoms the student is advised to stay away from school for 24 hours. These students receive a confirmation e-mail from the University of precautions the school is taking and that the students should take on their own.

That’s fine so far as it goes.

However, some of those students (probably all, but I don’t know for sure) are, without ever being examined by a doctor, included on a list of “confirmed” cases of swine flu which is distributed to professors, despite the students being told their health information is not to be shared with any third parties. (Are professor third parties?) Professors then feel free to confront students openly in class about whether they should be attending given their “condition.”

This is not to mention the 10-minute lecture we got from a professor this week on hand cleaning, infectious diseases and the like.

Hardly grave injustices, I know. It’s just interesting to see emergency-like public health precautions taking shape and affecting classes and friends. The school is, naturally, working with students and professors to receive materials missed in class and I’m sure we’ll get through all this just fine.

Full post as published by Fight The Hypo on September 19, 2009 (boomark / email).