Gannett has administered fewer flu vaccinations and diagnosed fewer cases of the flu than last year when the campus was rocked by the swine flu epidemic.

David Roy considers the medical dangers of smooching.

A line of people spilled out of the Straight Memorial Room onto Ho Plaza, took a bend outside the Cornell Store and stretched all the way to McGraw Tower Friday. The line could be spotted for the entire day, when about 2,000 people received their seasonal flu shot.

Gannett Health Service’s vaccination clinic, the first opportunity for many Cornellians to receive a flu shot this semester, was the largest clinic Gannett had ever held, according to Sharon Dittman, associate director of community relations at Gannett.

However, uncertainly over the arrival of additional vaccine may delay future clinics.

As swine flu rumors circulated across campus seemingly more quickly than the H1N1 virus itself, Cornell officials said yesterday that the University would remain open and there were no plans to cancel or modify classes unless the outbreak significantly worsens or a new strain of the flu emerges.

“We’re trying to be both reactive, as well as proactive on behalf of the institution,” Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy ’74 said yesterday of the University's planning efforts.

Nonetheless, the past several weeks — during which time Gannett has diagnosed 623 cases of probable H1N1 flu and one student has died from H1N1 flu complications –– have proven to be a major test of Cornell's emergency management infrastructure and planning.

As fences were being put up, the stage was being constructed and students were finalizing social plans, the University advised students yesterday to take caution with their Slope Day celebrations in light of the recent nationwide swine flu threat.

With 91 cases of confirmed swine flu in the United States, including possible cases in central New York, the University is trying to ensure that the necessary health precautions will be taken by students on Slope Day when masses of students are set to congregate and potentially spread illnesses.

Each year from the beginning of November through the end of April, millions of Americans are stricken by the influenza virus. According to the website of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “On average 5 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu; more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and about 36,000 people die from flu.” While a flu shot does not guarantee total protection from this scourge of the winter season, the CDC notes that the injection is up to 90 percent effective in warding off influenza in healthy people under age 65.

Wegmans recently announced that it would offer free generic antibiotics to customers with prescriptions, following in the footsteps of other supermarket chains such as Giant and Stop & Shop. While this is a positive measure for families otherwise unable to afford antibiotics, the time and money spent on this program could be better spent preventing disease in the first place.

As the days in Ithaca get shorter and colder, Cornellians increasingly fill the carrels of Olin and Uris library ready to study the night away. This is no coincidence as the end of the semester is the time for prelims, papers, and projects. However, the colder, darker days of winter also signals the start of the cold and flu season. While walking through the Olin, Uris, the dorms, or anyplace else it is not difficult to find someone already sniffling, sneezing, or coughing. As the winter days go by, more and more of your friends and peers will fall victim to these dreaded diseases.