02/08/08
A familiar winter visitor has made its way to campus: influenza<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/" target="_blank">influenza</a>. . influenza.
Director of Student Health Services Ruth Sarna said the health center has been extremely busy with students seeking treatment for illnesses, with a large portion of them suffering from the flu.
Twenty students visited the health center in four hours Tuesday morning, Sarna said, with half of them being diagnosed with the flu.
Sarna said the most common symptoms of the flu are body aches, chills, a cough and a fever. One very distinctive trait of the flu that sets it apart from other illnesses is the very sudden onset, with the infected feeling fine one day but miserable the next.
“I woke up at 6 a.m. and bam!” junior Sarah Jones said of when she woke up Tuesday. “I had nothing the night before.”
Jones went to the health center later that day, skipping classes, which is something Sarna recommends.
Sarna said students would be given notes suggesting they stay out of class, but the students must still communicate with the professor. Not attending class benefits the ill student by giving them a chance to rest and recover, but also helps curb the spread of the flu since those suffering are contagious while they have a fever.
Professor of Biology Darcy Russell said she would prefer students not come to class while they are contagious.
“I don’t want that spread to other students, and that just makes my job harder for a longer period of time,” she said.
She said having students miss class could be a strain because she has to prepare alternate tests or set up lab activities specifically for them.
Students like Jones who visit the health center won’t be given a quick cure. Sarna said students could be prescribed Tamiflu, which shortens the duration of the symptoms by a few days. The downside is the prescription costs about $85 without insurance or a prescription plan, which causes many students to decide not to take it, Sarna said.
Other than Tamiflu, Sarna said she just suggests fluids, lots of rest, decongestants, no alcohol and an alternation of Tylenol and Ibuprofen to treat the symptoms.
With no quick fix, the best thing students can do is try to avoid the flu. Sarna said infected people should cough or sneeze into their sleeves or tissues to avoid the spread of germs, and healthy people should wash their hands frequently, sanitize their surroundings when possible and avoid sharing glasses or other personal belongings.
For students exposed to a sick roommate or friend, she recommended extra Vitamin C and plenty of sleep to stay healthy.