School is a dangerous place. We all know this from those UW police department notification e-mails that we get every once in a while. Every time one of these bad boys enters my inbox, my heart swells in fear and chills are sent down my spine. I surprise myself when I can actually muster the courage to open the e-mail and witness the horror within.

Amid the vandalisms, robberies and late-night violence, I am disconcerted with the fact that one major hazard is always left unreported. No, I am not speaking of rabid raccoons that appear during the day (although it is true, but that is a story for another time). I am speaking of the menacing business of germ exchange.

People are sick everywhere. That’s what we get for having thousands of people grouped together in one area. A little bit of sleep deprivation, a spot of underdressing for the weather or a sprinkle of unprotected sex, and BAM — the next thing you know, you’re sick!

I have not been sick this year yet, but I’m awfully scared. Sitting in lecture, I often find myself in the middle of a horror movie. Here I am, confined in a room with 200 other people, and all I hear are the sounds of students coughing and sniffling away. It is truly horrible, not to mention really gross.

Even scarier is the fact that even though I know the room is teeming with germs, I cannot see them. Sickness is truly the invisible assassin, unless I have a microscope, which is something I do not have.

One time, I heard someone sneeze. Did someone turn on the sprinkler? Oh wait. Eww.

Sometimes I feel like I need to wear my lab coat and goggles even when I am not going to chemistry lab. That’s probably not even enough. I think I need to buy myself some face masks and latex gloves. I hope they sell those at the University Book Store, too.

When it comes to being sick, it’s a war zone out there. We need to be informed when a sick person could be walking around campus spreading germs. One notification e-mail from the UW police department could potentially save the health of thousands of campus-goers. And we all know that good health saves lives, so this actually is a life-and-death situation.

Winter is a time of weakened immune systems and cold temperatures, so I make sure to take my extra vitamin C whenever I can. I recommend those California Clementines, also known as Cuties. They’re small, tasty and easy to peel. Plus, they are really cute.

[Reach reporter Dennis Tat at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.]