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Chances are if you didn’t get the flu this year, you probably know someone who did. 

Spring semester started six weeks ago, and there has already been an increase of students who have gotten the flu in comparison to other years.

“This year [the flu season] started earlier, we usually see a high volume in February,” Christie Chase director of student health services said. “It seemed to be in that third or fourth week in January we were seeing record numbers. I’ve been here for 13 years, and I don’t think I have seen those numbers that we have seen so far.”

Chase said 3,500 students, staff and faculty were vaccinated when the ten free flu clinics were offered on campus in October. 

Chase encouraged students experiencing symptoms of fatigue, high fevers or even headaches to go to the health center to get checked out.

Once students are in the waiting room, they will be asked to wear a mask if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. 

One student, Lucky Plath says when he got the fever and went to the health center they helped him.

“It was awful,” Plath said. “I was sick, I was in bed, I was tired. I couldn’t even eat, I felt weak. I had a fever, it was really bad. I went and they helped me out and gave me some medicine.” 

Some students have mixed feelings about the flu vaccine.

“I might not [get the flu shot] because I heard it doesn’t work that well but if it’s better I will,” Alessio Maioriella said.

Maioriella got the flu this year as well and had similar symptoms to Plath. 

Felicia Blanchard got the flu twice in one semester. 

“I had the flu twice this year because I work with pre-schoolers, and a lot of the kids there do get sick,” Blanchard said.” “I was in the petri dish of getting it.”

To avoid getting the flu, everyone is encouraged to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer whenever needed.

“Everyone needs to be diligent with hand washing and not sharing items,” Chase said.

Chase recommended the following tips to stay healthy throughout the rest of the flu season: 

• Hand sanitizer is available in the health center on main campus 
• The health center is providing those with the “presumed flu” with flu kits, which contain a mask, thermometer, hand sanitizer and care instructions
• Students identified with the flu or presumptive flu are encouraged not to attend class and to go home if possible