There’s something in the air, and it’s not just the smell of blooming flowers.

The long-awaited warm weather has almost blind-sided me with its negative counterparts. Now that we are hitting warmer temperatures, I am unfortunately receiving a graphic reminder from those around me.

Just because it’s almost shorts and T-shirt weather doesn’t mean personal hygiene should be tossed out the window along with your parka and boots.

For college students, personal hygiene is a must. It’s basically considered a human need. You follow a routine everyday. Hopefully you brush your teeth, shower, wear clean clothes, etc. Still, some people just aren’t getting it.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve walked into one of my stuffy classrooms and my olfactory senses recoiled in disgust. The humid air, along with the stench of 25 body-odor-bearing students, emits a smell I long to forget.

Unfortunately, there is more to poor hygiene than forcing your neighbor to buy a nose plug.

Poor hygiene poses various health risks to those who boycott cleanliness and exposes those who embrace cleanliness to multiple risks of bacteria infection.

Perhaps the biggest threat to college-aged students is bacterial meningitis. Don’t be fooled – this rare but contagious disease can do a lot of harm if contracted.

According to WebMD, bacterial meningitis is not very common, but it can be passed on easily through close contact, coughing or sneezing. Once contracted, if not treated immediately, this disease infects the coverings around the brain and spinal cord, and can result in brain damage or death.

A lot of you may find yourself wondering when the last case of this was reported. Throw your newspaper away, sneeze and forget to wash your hands.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday on the risk of meningococcal disease among teenagers and young adults. The recent deaths of two West Side teens caused Chicago to urge parents to get their children vaccinated.

Chicago Health Commissioner Terry Mason told the Sun-Times that cases of meningitis have been on the rise, as 10 cases have already been reported this year, compared to 13 cases in all of last year.

An 18-year-old man died the previous week of the disease, and a 15-year-old girl died last month.

In the case of the girl, her family considered her death a complete surprise.

Of course, vaccination is the best way to guard against meningitis. But there are also a few tricks to stay healthy and keep college students safe against the wrath of poor hygiene.

Remember to wash your hands, stay clean, do your laundry regularly and eat a healthy diet. At the risk of sounding like a mother, I will gladly accept that stigma for health’s sake.

Remember, being a college student does not exempt you from being human. No one wants to cozy up with someone who can’t get their act together in the most basic way.

If you don’t want to stay clean for yourself, at least do so out of respect for others.