At 2 a.m. on a recent Tuesday, A.J. Benway ’18, found himself on the way to the hospital, driving from his home in Bristol, to Porter Hospital in Middlebury. It started off with a mild stomach ache, then came the vomiting. He couldn’t even hold a small sip of water down. Then came the 102 degree fever. He was so dehydrated when he arrived at the hospital that he needed he needed two bags of IV fluid to replenish the fluids he had lost.
The flu is no joke. It comes on fast and without warning and it can get bad, very bad. In fact, in Vermont alone there have been xxx cases of flu reported this winter. At least four of those happened on the St. Michael’s campus.
While for most people the flu will be a miserable two weeks, it can lead to more dangerous risks, and even death.
Being on campus students are exposed to many illnesses, the flu being one of them. There are only four confirmed cases of the flu on campus, said Mary Masson, director of the Bergeron Wellness Center. While the number is low, she said she expects more cases to crop up with everyone now back from break.
The flu can wipe a student out for 1 to 2 weeks. Masson said students should take it seriously, and follow these tips on how to stay healthy this winter season:
•The flu is spread by respiratory droplets, so it is crucial that when you cough or sneeze that you do so into your arm and not onto someone else.
•Keep a fever down with ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol), drink plenty of fluids, and get rest/sleep. Medications that are prescribed, such as Tamiflu, have to be started within 2-3 days of the symptoms and the medication only decreases the duration of the flu by 12 hours! “If you have the flu, call or come to the Bergeron Wellness Center and we can give you a ‘flu kit’ to help with symptoms,” Masson said.
•It is NOT too late to get a flu shot. Go to a local pharmacy such as the CVS on Church street or Rite Aid on main street
IS IT THE FLU OR A COLD?
The easiest way to tell the difference between a cold and the flu is that colds tend to come on slower. The flu is a virus and once it comes you can’t stop it.
The classic symptoms for the flu includes:
high fever
body aches
chills/sweats
a dry cough.