AU has seen an increased number of flu cases in the first two months of this year, mimicking a trend of higher numbers of flu cases nationwide.
Since Jan. 1, the Student Health Center has reported between 90 and 100 cases of Influenza, according to Dan Bruey, the director of the Health Center. During the same period last year, the Health Center reported between 65 and 80 cases, he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributes the rise in flu cases to a weak 2008 flu vaccine. The vaccine is composed annually of the three different strands of the Influenza virus predicted to be most common in the coming year. This year, the most widely circulating strand has been Influenza A (H3NZ), which the CDC did not include in this year's vaccine, according to the center's Web site.
Dominic Cross, a freshman in the School of International Service, said he did not notice a difference in the flu season this year.
"I expect whenever I go back to school to get the flu," he said.
While Bruey said he noticed a definite increase in flu cases, he said it did not affect the Health Center's efficiency. The Health Center has also been administering a new flu test this year, which may partially account for the increase in the documented number of cases because the test allows for a more definitive diagnosis.
The college campus environment is also a factor in the spreading of the flu, Bruey said.
"Our students like to trudge through, with work and class and internships," he said. "This mobility gives other students more exposure to the virus."
Students' social interaction was also a factor in the high number of flu cases, Cross said.
"Somebody brings back a cold from home, and then they party too much and get the flu and it spreads across campus," he said.
Geena Wardaki, a freshman in the School of Communication, said she blamed dorm living for the string of recent flu outbreaks.
"I got the flu, and then my roommate caught it the next week," she said.
The Health Center has been treating flu cases with Tamiflu, an anti-viral drug that can lessen the illness' length and pain if taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, according to Kelli Westmoreland, a physician assistant at the Health Center.
Bruey said students should feel free to take advantage of the treatment the Health Center offers.
"When you're feeling sick, come in as soon as possible," he said.
Symptoms to look out for include high fever, body aches, coughing, runny nose, fatigue and possible nausea, according to Westmoreland.
If more than 48 hours have passed since the onset of symptoms, the Health Center can only treat the symptoms, Westmoreland said. In this situation, she suggests cold medicine, Advil or Tylenol to reduce fever, non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic fluids and rest.
To prevent catching the flu, Bruey and Westmoreland said they suggest frequent hand washing, avoiding others who are sick, maintaining healthy eating and sleeping habits and sneezing into a sleeve instead of a hand.
Westmoreland said she still recommends getting a flu shot, which is available at the Health Center for $20 and does not require getting an appointment.
"The flu has become much more prevalent in the later season," she said.
Even this year's weak vaccine can provide cross-protection, which is partial protection against strands related to the strands included in the vaccine, according to the CDC's Web site. This protection may not prevent the onset of the flu, but it can make its symptoms less severe.
