(November 5, 2009) — According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children and young adults are most susceptible to the H1N1 virus. What exactly this statistic means for high school students is a different story. The Glendale Unified School District has been doing all that it can to prevent an oubreak, according to Principal Doug Dall—other than canceling school, an overly drastic measure, says Dall, but not uncommon, according to the Associated Press. Clark had at least one student confirmed with swine flu. The senior says the public’s fear is based on misconceptions. “It was like any other flu I had except it was longer and the symptoms were more intense,” she said. Freshman Kyle Bogosian, who was exposed to but didn’t catch the swine flu in a summer camp outbreak, thinks the public is taking H1N1 too seriously. “The media and everything is making it sound like a big pandemic, but it’s really not a big deal,” Bogosian said. “As long as you wash your hands, it’s okay.” But according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, H1N1 is more than the regular seasonal flu. Along with regular—and perhaps more severe—flu-like symptoms, the swine flu may cause vomiting and diarrhea, as well as a more fatal flu season. Dall says the staff is being more proactive this year in complying with GUSD and CDC protocols. Science teacher Gerald Gruss believes that the district is allaying the fear of an outbreak by focusing on hand washing and encouraging students to stay at home when sick. He says that up to 50 students use the district-provided hand sanitizer in his classroom every day. However, keeping sick students at home is not guaranteed. “I think Glendale is doing the very best it can do,” said Kym Jarnot, a school district nurse. “Are people complying and listening and doing the things they’re being taught? I don’t know.” Jarnot thinks that all students should be vaccinated before the flu season due to the increased risk factor of a crowded school environment. Along with Clark, Crescenta Valley High School and Rosemont Middle School have reported cases of swine flu, according to the Crescenta Valley Weekly . Cinematography teacher Matthew Stroup, however, believes that vaccinations aren’t as critical for healthy immune systems. “I think we have a tendency to depend on medicine a little too much,” Stroup said. “I think sometimes our bodies are able to combat things on their own, by eating right and resting.” Library media teacher Susan Newcomer, who is planning to get the H1N1 vaccine after the Priority Group, fears the same problem with H1N1 as with the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic, which also struck the younger population the hardest. According to Newcomer, younger immune systems tend to fight disease vigorously—sometimes too vigorously—which may be fatal. So far, however, junior John Azizian noted that the fatality statistics for H1N1 are not alarming, though he says the main worry is the virus’s mutation. Jarnot thinks that the current measures that are being taken are a sort of drill for a future fatal pandemic should the mutation occur. “This is a good way for the public health department and the CDC to see where our weak points are should something happen.” This future pandemic, Jarnot says, is impossible to predict. Alarming or not, ScienceBlogs reports that the influenza hospitalization rates in the U.S. has reached the risk level common to an entire flu season with half the fatalities from Sept. 1 and Oct. 19 within the 12- to 17-year-old population. The flu season has only begun.