According to the most recent flu activity report released by the Centers for Disease Control, the District of Columbia reported little flu activity, and AU has reported few confirmed cases of the flu, according to Dan Bruey, director of the Student Health Center.
Other states currently reporting widespread flu activity include New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Texas, Georgia and Florida. The CDC lists a state as having widespread flu activity when a state reports lab-confirmed cases of flu in half of the state's regions, according to a CDC spokesperson who wished to remain anonymous.
The flu activity report indicated that Virginia was reporting widespread flu activity and Maryland was reporting local activity. In previous reports, Maryland reported widespread activity while the District reported that no flu activity occurred during the week of February 12-18. It had previously reported local activity and sporadic activity in previous weekly reports this year.
Bruey said only nine flu-infected students have gone to the Student Health Center since the semester began on Jan. 17, although the actual number of flu cases on campus may be greater than the number that the on-campus clinic has confirmed.
"Many students do not utilize the Student Health Center for their primary care needs, so there may be cases of which we are not aware," he said.
David Grossman, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said he had the flu for about a week in the middle of February and went to the Student Health Center for treatment.
"I knew I had the flu, so they prescribed some over-the-counter medicines," Grossman said.
Grossman said he caught the flu from residents on his floor.
"It was going around the floor," he said. "People in the lounge had it, and I just got it from them."
Bruey said a number of factors make college students susceptible to catching the flu.
"A lot of students don't get flu shots," Bruey said. "Also, not eating right and not sleeping enough can make students more susceptible, as does stress."
However, Bruey said, students can take certain steps to keep themselves from catching the flu. In addition to washing their hands regularly, they should try to avoid coming in contact with people who have the flu as much as possible. If a person is sick, they should try to cover their mouths and noses when they sneeze to avoid spread the flu to others, he said.
Grossman said that in addition to taking the medicine prescribed by the Student Health Center, he took other measures to get better.
"I had some chicken soup and stayed in bed," he said. "Normal stuff, really"
