To the Editor:
Regarding the article in The Dartmouth of Feb. 21, "Pink eye spreads after misdiagnoses," I was absolutely shocked to read a statement from Director of Health Services Dr. Jack Turco about his surprise at the quick spread of pink eye among members of the Dartmouth community. "It is confusing, since in an adult setting you wouldn't think there would be so much person to person contact," he stated in the article. How could Turco overlook the prevalent use of BlitzMail computers on campus? Nearly every student I know checks their email on public computers more than four times a day.
While using public keyboards may not necessarily mean that students are making direct hand to hand contact, these pieces of shared computer equipment might provide a wonderful springboard for the bacteria to travel from host to host.
The article mentioned that Dick's House doctors are considering writing a report about the pink eye epidemic at Dartmouth. Instead of focusing their energy on writing a report, these medical professionals should brainstorm ways to prevent the spread of both viral and bacterial infections. Why not institute a system by which public computer keyboards are cleaned with disinfectant every half-hour? The way I see it, this is one of the clearest (and easiest) ways to construct a systematically healthier community.
