Swine Flu Strikes

Tsinghua has raised its H1N1 flu alert level after several students contracted the virus. Although flu prevention is a serious concern on a campus of 31,000 students, the precautionary measures in place are rather humorous.

Dormitory staff check the temperature of arriving students with cheap laser-gun thermometers aimed at the forehead. These malfunction routinely, sending the young women at the front desk into fits of giggles when someone registers a fever of 300°C.

Posters in the elevators give helpful and dubious tips for staying healthy. Washing hands and avoiding sick friends sounds reasonable. But leaving a window open to the Beijing smog "2-3 times daily for 30 minutes each time" seems counterproductive. Also amusing is the photo of a Chinese woman lifted from a skin cream advertisement.