A cacophony of sniffles, loud coughs and nose-blowing is rippling through lecture halls. Students in dorm buildings are catching their neighbor’s sniffles like germ is the new black.
Of course. It’s flu season.
The activity of influenza – the highly contagious virus known as the flu, characterized by fever, aches and vomiting – was higher in College Park last month than it has been in most previous seasons, according to FluStar, a national flu-tracking system.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during the week of Feb. 24, 25 states reported widespread outbreak. In the report, Maryland reported local activity.
Although yearly outbreaks usually begin in November, officials said February is particularly troublesome at the university.
“The flu peaks during this time of year, and as soon as students start getting it, we have their roommates and friends running here to get vaccinated,” said Tina Thorburn, a registered nurse and nurse supervisor at the University Health Center.
Arjun Goel, a freshman letters and sciences major, lamented a high fever, dry cough and friends who were just plain sick.
“Everybody on our floor seemed to get it recently,” said the Cumberland Hall resident.
And Michael Cavanaugh, a freshman business major, has a prevention strategy.
“When the person sitting next to me is coughing, it makes me want to get up and move,” he said.
Five to 20 percent of the population gets the flu every year, said Shelly Diaz, a Center for Disease Control and Prevention spokeswoman.
As the influenza virus continually mutates every year and is spread by inhaling infected droplets in the air from coughing and sneezing, and through personal contact, drug manufacturers must determine which strain is most prevalent before mass-producing a vaccine, Diaz said.
So getting a vaccine at the beginning of the season can be difficult. But physicians – and the Health Center – prepare for yearly vaccine updates that hit the market. By February and this month, the medicine is in stock.
“We got our shipment in late November, and we have plenty of vaccines,” Thorburn said.
She reported that about the same number of students get vaccinated against the influenza virus every year.
“A problem we’re having is people who are so dehydrated from vomiting that they can’t eat anything,” Thorburn said. “They have to get on an IV because the more dehydrated they get, the less they can keep down.”
According to Thorburn, students repeatedly make two common mistakes with the flu. One is waiting too long for treatment, because it can be treated with an anti-viral within 72 hours of getting infected. The other is not getting a vaccine every year.
Silvia Proano, a freshman letters and sciences major, said she got a vaccine – last year. This year she didn’t, and she caught the flu.
“I guess it was my own fault,” she said.
Contact reporter Allison Stice at sticedbk@gmail.com
