Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rationality]

[billietea]

No big outbreaks at the moment, although one of more of the NETs in our area seems to always be sick...hospital worthy sick. The first year one spends in a new country will be their year for immune system overload...getting used to all the bugs, etc. It is good that most public schools offer 11-15 days of sick leave. It can be expected that one might use all of those days their first year. Chances are they won't get another contract with the school if they take all of those days, but that is another topic. The lack of awareness about what makes someone sick here creates the sharing of food off a big communal plate and the hand feeding to one's friends...not to mention the sharing of a glass when you have a friendly drink. Also, people don't sneeze or cough into their hands...they don't often wash their hands when leaving the bathroom and try to get away (if they can) with not washing before they eat. All of these reasons create a difficult situation for someone who wants to stay healthy. Strep is highly contagious and if you show signs should get to the doctor ASAP for your meds and take as many sick days as the doctor prescribes so that you don't pass it on to your students or other folks at the school. There is a lot of bronchitis right now, as there was over the winter. I think that is the most serious threat...it turning into pneumonia is what the doctors are worried about at the moment in our little town.

[Straphanger]

[rationality]

[Robot_Teacher]

When is Korea going to start hand washing with soap and cleaning schools especially door handles? Often, the only cleaning is kids using filthy wet sponges. It's unsanitary as a 3rd world country, but worse due to all this food and stuff going on in enclosed modern building environments vs. outdoors in thatched roof huts. Korea people are still relying on chopsticks in lieu of clean hands when it comes to finger food, but the door handles and spreading of germs in a ghetto like environment of modern cities incubates germs. It's OK to eat with chopsticks, but lets clean hands, cover our mouths when we cough and sneeze, and sanitize our indoor environment.

They got one good thing going in everyone's favor. Clean drinking water from natural spring sources.

[Straphanger]

[rationality]

[rationality]

[Straphanger]

[CharlotteGrey]

I was hospitalized for tonsillitis (back home in Canada) once because I waited too long to see a doctor and the infection was too severe for them to leave to oral meds. They needed to give me antibiotics intravenously. Just saying its completely possible it was a bad case of strep and the doctors felt oral meds wouldn't be effective.

[Straphanger]

[I'm no Picasso]

Strep's making the rounds here. At least I assume it's strep. They said it's something highly contagious with the throat. Don't know the name in English.

They had to quarantine one class during exams away from the other students. They were down to 28 at last count, from 43. Luckily, I got to teach them not once, but twice last week. Interestingly enough, my co-teachers had something very urgent they had to do those periods. I don't blame them. I'd beg off having to be breathed on by the dirty little buggers too, if I could...

Anyway. Disinfectant spray in every classroom between every period and hand sanitizer passed out to all the teachers, with one big bottle with a pump attached by the door. They're not taking this lightly.

[Straphanger]

Please. Go to the doctor and say you ave a scratchy throat, get a course of erythro or whatever for prophylaxis. If you show symptoms like endocarditis (weakness, fever...basically, if you're still sick) it might be MRSA and get a vanco shot in your left but cheek.

You're not going to die from a staph infection. Party like it's 2009.

[I'm no Picasso]

I've had strep throat approximately 273 times thus far in life. I'd know if I'd picked it up. Shocked I haven't, because I always catch it every time anyone even mentions it in my presence. Anyway, that ass shot is only necessary if you've let it go for too long. A round of pills should do the trick.

The reason I hate strep so much is that you absolutely must go to the doctor for it. I prefer colds and viruses, which I can ride out on my own.

[rationality]