Photo by Leonid Mamchenkov.
Chances are you’ve noticed an abundance of sniffling and coughing going on around campus lately. It seems like everyone knows someone who missed class because they were sick with a cold or the flu.
Dr. Rouzier from University Health Services says that this cold and flu season has been “worse than last year; no one really knows why. However, December was a lot better than the last couple of years.” According to Google Flu, an interactive map that charts the flu, the flu season has gotten a later start this winter than in past years. This means that despite the warmer weather it’s still cold and flu season.
The flu bugs that normally go around the student body are “influenza A,” “influenza B” and an “influenza-like illness” explains Dr. Rouzier. Symptoms of these include fever, aches, pains, a dry cough, sniffles, and you “feel awful.” To prevent illness Dr. Rouzier recommends everyone get a flu shot.
The other affliction that abounds this time of year is the common cold. Common as it may be, there’s no cure, so students can expect the virus to last about 5-10 days. Dr. Rouzier advises that most colds only need self-care, so you probably don’t need to seek medical attention. He suggests that the best thing you could do is keep cold medicines in your room and take it easy for a few days, and that at Health Services, “We’re always happy to see sick students, but unfortunately at any doctor’s office you can get sick just from being in a waiting room!”
There are some precautions students can take to avoid getting sick. Dr. Rouzier gives the following advice:
- Don’t drink alcohol to excess or share drinks
- Don’t smoke
- Get regular exercise, but don’t over do it or exercise if you feel sick.
- Take short naps if you feel a sickness coming on
- Get plenty of sleep at a decent hour. Dr. Rouzier explains students should “go to bed before midnight. I think sleeping 8 hours from 3 am- 11 am isn’t good for your immune system. I don’t have any recent medical articles proving this, but it’s been published in the past; you’re ‘overtired’ if you go to sleep really late.”
Dr. Rouzier suggests the following to help prevent spreading your cold if you’re sick:
- Cough into your sleeves, not your hands
- Don’t touch things with contaminated hands
- Make an effort to avoid getting other people sick
Hopefully with this advice you can survive the rest of the flu season unscathed, and stay healthy during future seasons as well.
