It’s back, it’s on campus, and it’s coming for you – it’s influenza, more commonly known as the flu.
The flu is contagious respiratory infection caused by a virus attacking the nose, throat and lungs. Signs and symptoms of it include a sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea. A fever is also a symptom of the flu, however, not everyone who has a fever has the flu. The flu can lead to pneumonia or other complications.
“The best strategy to avoid influenza is to obtain a flu shot,” said Student Health Director Joanne Steane. “These are available on campus for students and staff and faculty.”
The flu shot inoculates the receiver against common strains of flu floating around this season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone get a flu shot.
Flu shots are available at the Student Health Center, located in the Cheney International Building, weekdays from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Students will need to wait 20 minutes after receiving the shot to ensure they have no reaction to it.
The shot costs $14.50, which students can pay with cash, check or bill to their student account. For those with UW student health insurance, the bill will be sent to the insurance company. Those with other insurance will receive a billing statement to submit to their insurance company.
Last year, about 70 people obtained the flu at the University of Wyoming. About 500 students come in to Student Health for flu shots. In order to decrease the number of cases Student Health offers flu shots for students starting in September, a month before the “typical” flu season begins in October. The flu season typically peakrs in February and ends in May, but can peak as early as December or late as March.
If someone already has the flu, Student Health can also provide proper treatment to try to reduce the severity and duration of symptoms so they may soon attend classes again.
“Influenza is caused by a virus, and care is geared towards the symptoms,” Steane said. “Based on the timing of the illness, the severity of the illness, and the student’s health status, a specific medication to treat influenza can be prescribed. The Student Health Service does not provide medical excuses. The recommendation is to contact instructors and professors to let them know of the diagnosis and the need to be out of class (until the fever is completely gone).”
Most individuals who get the flu will recover in a few days or at most two weeks. They are only contagious in the first three to four days after the illness begins. However, if an individual has the flu, they may infect others with it a day before they notice their symptoms themselves. They could even infect people up to five days after they become sick.
One student, UW freshman Gannon Guenther, has already learned the importance of a flu shot the hard way.
“I missed school for a whole week once when I got the flu,” Guenther said, “and I passed it onto my whole basketball team who all missed a week of school too. I gave it to my brother as well, but that’s why I get the flu shot every year now. Plus, the statistics behind getting it are good.”
“It is a yearly thing for me to do to keep me from hopefully getting the flu or spreading it to others,” he said. “I have already gotten it this year.”
Student Health requests students read the informational brochure linked here before arriving at the clinic: Immunize.org/vis/flu_inactive.pdf.
