With flu season in full swing, faculty and students are doing their best to stay healthy on campus.
Antonia Pratt-Reid, nurse practitioner and owner of Family HealthCare and Minor Emergency Clinic, said flu season is well under way and has proven to be a busy one.
“The trend appears to be mostly Influenza B. We will continue to see flu into the springtime as well. This year, the symptoms seem to start as cold-like: headache, fever, achiness, chest tightness to wheeze, sometimes there is a sore throat, and eyes will often hurt,” Pratt-Reid said.
Many students are concerned about the risk of catching the flu in a university environment. Brandon Dallmann, music theater junior, said he is concerned about the effect that physical performance classes have on the health of students.
“People are constantly around each other; people are very physical around each other,” Dallmann said. “Performers take a lot of classes that require physical contact. If they aren’t good at communicating sickness with their peers, more people are likely to get sick.”
Pratt-Reid said the first step to avoiding serious sickness is vaccination, and if a student feels they might be sick, to be tested as soon as possible.
“In general, all healthy people should get vaccinated. The CDC now recommends that, in addition to other high-risk groups, all healthy children get a flu vaccination,” Pratt-Reid said. “Anyone who thinks they have the flu with symptoms should be tested. The campus clinic will evaluate the student and determine if there is a need to test for the flu.”
Pratt-Reid said any student that carries student insurance cards are covered for all services at the campus clinic, but students who waive their insurance in lieu of family insurance are responsible for verifying their benefits.
“If there happens to be a student without any insurance benefits, the clinic has a fee scale for uninsured patients,” Pratt-Reid said. “It is important to carry your insurance card and know your benefits.”
Anh-Mai Kearney, music theater/vocal performance junior, said she just recovered from the flu and struggled with getting a diagnosis due to the state of her illness.
“The doctor I saw on the first day was kind, and I told her all of my symptoms. She said it sounded like the flu but informed me that the flu had been coming back negative. She told me there was a 50-50 chance I had it and was contagious, so she gave me a note in case my symptoms got worse.” Kearney said.
Kearney said her symptoms did get worse, but when she went back to the doctor, the test came up negative.
“Even though the nurse from before said I could still have the flu, despite the test, the second doctor didn’t believe I could have the flu, despite my symptoms. He tested me for a few other things and said he didn’t have a better answer for me, and I left.” Kearney said.
Kearney said she was wary of going to see another doctor, due to costs. She ended up having the flu and was not able to treat the symptoms in time to heal fully before her junior recital.
“It was just stressful because my recital was that weekend, and, if I did have the flu, I could have gotten some kind of medicine to hurry the process of healing,” Kearney said. “Instead, I had to take that extra time. I couldn’t practice leading up to my recital. I ended up being okay in time for it, but it was very stressful.”
Pratt-Reid said you can never be completely safe from illness, even when vaccinated, but a set of good health habits can help students lower their chances of contagion during the winter season.
“Students should always practice healthy habits. Get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, eat balanced meals; a multi-vitamin and vitamin C are especially helpful during the winter months, and avoid folks that are sick and coughing and sneezing,” Pratt-Reid said.
Pratt-Reid said there are several tips and tricks students can use to not only avoid getting sick, but also protect others from catching the flu.
“Wash your hands. Cold and flu viruses may be spread by indirect contact. Maybe someone sneezes onto their hand and then touches a doorknob, only to have the virus picked up by the next person who also touches it,” Pratt-Reid said. “Disinfect common surfaces. Viruses that cause colds and flu can survive on common surfaces for up to 72 hours. Increasing your fluid intake with electrolytes and water can help strengthen your immune system, keeping the flu at bay. And if you do get sick, water flushes your system, rehydrates you and washes out the toxins. An adult should drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluids each day. If the color of your urine is close to clear, then you are getting enough. If it’s deep yellow, drink more water.”
Kaley McConnaughey, music theater junior, said she was sick for a large portion of last semester, which is difficult to manage due to the low number of absences allowed on campus. She said staying healthy now is a large priority of hers to make the rest of her college career as smooth as possible.
McConnaughey said she does a number of things to take care of her health, such as gargling apple cider vinegar.
“In addition, I take an array of gummy vitamins that my mom likes to send to me, because those are more fun,” McConnaughey said. “Overall, it is really hard to be a college student and be sick.”
If students need to schedule an appointment with the health clinic, they can do so by calling 405-373-2400. The health clinic is open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m.
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