Swine Flu?

Obviously the new vaccinations that are supposed to be released in October should help us control this swine flu breakout. Besides this, however, I cannot imagine many other technologies that could help manage the swine flu pandemic. Maybe if we figure out an improved way of quarantining those who have the swine flu, we can help prevent its further spread. The problem is that in today's society, life is so busy that the whole process of actually quarantining someone with the swine flu would not only be difficult but also some would argue that it would be obtrusive to one's rights as a citizen. Plus, it is also a matter of spreading awareness about the sickness so that people may catch it in its early stages as not to infect others and continue the spread. It would be extremely difficult to manage the breakout of not only swine flu but other pandemics at Penn for a few reasons. First of all, we are a close-knit community in which people are constantly in contact with others. People constantly share food, drinks, and saliva (in a couple different ways), and as a result, we are very vulnerable to such an outbreak as a community. Also, if one is in fact diagnosed with swine flu or a similar virus, they are merely quarantined to their room. Putting it in other terms, the school is trusting that these students will in fact remain in their rooms at all times as to not further the spread. Realistically, the average Penn student is much too concerned about their grades and social lives to skip all classes, club meetings and commitments, athletic events, and social events. We are all overachievers--that's why we are here in the first place. Assuming that a Penn student will choose not to quarantine themselves, the spread of a pandemic becomes ever more likely. However, if Health Services could somehow confine such diagnosed students to a special area and allow them special services to be taught and make up their missed class work, it would significantly decrease the spread of such a virus and increase a student's willingness to miss class and other commitments to prevent the spread of disease. Besides this, there is not much Penn can do, in my mind, as a community to stop the spread of H1N1 besides acquiring enough vaccines to supply to the entire student body and faculty, which seems both unlikely and unrealistic.