The symptoms of the flu virus are body aches, fever, sore throat, and nausea. This year, the symptoms have been sudden body aches, coughing, and bad headaches. There have not been many cases involving nausea and sore throats. It takes about five to seven days for someone to be considered not contagious.
If students feel these symptoms, they should visit University Health Services, walk in clinics, or the students’ primary doctors so they can get tested. The sooner students are tested, the sooner they can get started on antiviral medication, which can help them to get better faster.
If students that have the flu live within two and a half hours of the university, they have been advised to go home so that they do not spread the virus around campus. For people who live farther away, they have been advised to stay isolated in their rooms so they do not spread the virus to their fellow students. There is a buddy system that the students can use to get food. They can assign their ID to a friend or RA, so that they can get them food.
Professors have been working with students so that they can get caught up on their classwork, even though they are missing a lot of time. At the end of the day, Health Services sends a list of students that have been diagnosed with the flu to the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office then notifies the professors, so they know that these students are diagnosed with the flu and they will be missing class and will need help to catch up.
Students can prevent themselves from catching the flu by washing their hands and covering their mouths if they have a cough or cold. Students should avoid others who are sick and not share drinks with other people. Athletes who have the flu should not go to practice so they do not get their teammates sick. Additionally, students should eat well and get a lot of rest.
There have been approximately 150 known cases of the flu diagnosed on campus. The prescribed medication Tamiflu can be used to help lessen the severity of the flu virus. Health Services can not carry Tamiflu due to the cost of the medication since they do not take insurance. Health Services have been writing orders for Tamiflu which can be delivered by CVS and picked up at the university.
