The Pendulum
FEATURES
Thursday, February 12, 2004 • Page 17
Health Services suggests ways to fight against the flu
Andrew High
Sports Editor
You wake up a little tired,
aching; sneezes soon follow. The
soreness doesn’t go away and the
sneezing gives way to coughing.
Before you know it you’re in the
bathroom, bowing to the porcelain
god. Bad news; You’ve got the flu.
Ten to 20 percent of the U.S.
population gets sick from the flu
during any given year, according to
the Center of Disease Control.
Forty-four Elon students sought
treatment from the health center for
the flu this year, a percentage lower
than the national average.
Katherine Parrish, Elon’s direc
tor of Health Services, said she
believes the infection rate at Elon
was blunted by the center’s vaccina
tion campaign, one of its biggest
projects, along with vaccinations for
meningitis.
“We started [giving the vaccine]
the last week in October and we
offered it here at the health center to
anyone who wanted it, she said.
“We had some of the nasal flu vac-
-cine and we gave out some of that,
and we tried to get as many people
as possible.”
The center vaccinated 1,309 stu
dents and faculty, a number Parrish
said she wished were higher. “I
would like to have seen everyone
get it, but traditionally they haven’t
come and gotten it when we offered
it,” she said. “That’s why we ran
out this year. More people were
paying attention to the news and the
children that died and so forth.”
This year’s flu season has been
especially severe because the dis
ease mutated, making itself more
aggressive. Twelve young children
died in North Carolina. The elderly
and those with diseases affecting the
strength of their immune systems
are especially at risk of complica
tions from the flu. The flu can also
be deadly for people with heart dis
ease. The CDC in Atlanta estimates
that complications from the flu kill
36,000 adults annually.
Parrish said certain students are
also at a greater risk of getting the
flu.
“The students who are in resi
dence halls are more at risk,” Parrish
said. “They have closer association.
They’re sharing close quarters.
They’re eating together in the din
ing facilities, and then a lot of peo
ple don’t wash their hands as often
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as they should and that’s how you
spread [flu] germs.”
Because students risk getting the
flu from people they live with,
Parrish said they must be mindful in
their everyday lives.
Parrish said the best ways to pre
vent getting sick from the flu are
washing your hands, getting plenty
of rest and not drinking after some
one. Unfortunately, staying immune
from the flu can be difficult because
it is an airborne illness.
Freshman Anne Beckwith, who
lives in a residence hall, said she
gets a flu shot every year.
“I’ve always gotten flu shots
because my mom has severe
rheumatoid arthritis,” she said. “I
would get the flu shot to keep her
from getting sick, but I figured it
was a good habit to stick with here
at Elon.”
“It spread out in the community
just as fast as it did here,” she said.
“Because it’s a respiratory vims,
with droplets from people coughing
and sneezing, people can get it. If
you were in Wal-Mart, you could’ve
caught it by someone standing next
to you coughing.”
For students who contract the ill
ness and go to the health center for
Tips for preventing
the flu and colds
1. Wash your hands with soap and warm
water for 10 to 20 seconds.
2. Don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth
unless you've washed your hands.
3. Frequently wipe surfaces that are
touched often by several people.
4. Get adequate sleep to keep your immune
system efficent.
5. Drink extra water and eat a healthy diet.
care, Parrish, a nurse practitioner, go away, it shortens the course,
prescribes medicines to lessen the Where you might have had it seven
symptoms. days, you have it three.”
“It’s a viral illness so it’s mostly
treated symptomatically,” Parrish
said. “There is an antiviral, given in —
the first 24 hours of it, that shortens Contact Andrew High at pendu-
the course. It doesn’t make [the flu] lum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
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