The total number of laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza totals over 85,000 so far this flu season, according to CNN. For this week’s Feature Friday, Sarah Martin, acting freshman, shares her views on the flu and other sicknesses.
Q: Are you currently sick with any type of illness?
A: Other than mental stuff, no.
Q: What’s the sickest you’ve ever been?
A: I actually don’t know. I know some people are super sick right now, and I’ve never been that sick. Most of the time, when I’m sick, I can just push through it. If I’m contagious, I stay home, of course.
Q: If you had to contract an illness right this second, which one would you choose?
A: I’m trying to think of the least terrible one. I want to say the common cold.
Q: What are your thoughts on the flu shot?
A: I think flu shots are very important. I’m a firm believer in vaccines. If we have the means to use them, we should.
Q: Which Oregon Trail-era sickness is your favorite and why?
A: I never played Oregon Trail, but I loved learning about Yellow Fever. There was this book I read called Fever 1763. It’s about Philadelphia when that was the capital of the United States, and, when yellow fever broke out, it caused a lot of issues for that town. I’m also interested in the Bubonic plague because it’s interesting to see how many people immediately associated it with religion.
Q: What illness would you like a vaccine to be invented for?
A: Cancer.
Q: If you could give your worst enemy the illness of your choice, would you infect them? If so, what would you give them?
A: That’s a messed up question. I’m still going to answer. I don’t know if I have a worst enemy. But if I did, I’d probably give them chicken pox. Cause it’s being sick and itchy, but it doesn’t last that long.
Q: Say a higher power gives you the ability to completely eradicate all future cases of the flu. The only catch is that you have to die from it. Would you do it?
A: Yeah, I think I would. If it’s worldwide, I would… in theory. In reality, who knows?
Q: If you had to choreograph a dance about one illness, which one would you choose?
A: I would create a dance based off of depression because I view mental health as an illness as well. I feel like our society views it as just an emotion, but it’s an illness based off of chemical imbalances and genetics. And it stays with you through all your life.
Q: If the campus health clinic advised all students to start wearing surgical masks everywhere, and no one else listened, would you wear one?
A: Yeah, I’d be like that one American Idol contestant who wore a medical mask and painted lipstick on it. I’d decorate it differently every day.
Comment below to suggest next week’s Feature Friday.
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