The common cold, known as the Elon plague on Elon University’s campus, is generally rampant among college students during January and February. Though Health Services sees students throughout the year, winter months are especially busy when illnesses like the flu and common cold are easier to catch.
Ginette Archinal, medical director of student health and university physician, said more students tend to get sick this time of year because winter weather prevents students from going outside and leaves them in close contact with each other in residence halls.
She also cited sorority and fraternity recruitment as perfect opportunities for students to get ill because of exhausting days and increased exposure to germs, especially from standing in crowded rooms and shaking hands. In general, Health Services usually gets the most foot traffic around exam times, as stress can contribute to illnesses.
“Anything you do that suppresses your immune function makes you more vulnerable, particularly to viral infections,” Archinal said.
Archinal is not surprised that this time of year lends itself to higher trends of student illnesses. She explained that college environments contribute to rampant illnesses, especially for freshmen who have not previously been exposed to such high volumes of foreign germs. She recommends those trying to avoid getting sick remember that you cannot cure a common cold, antibiotics are more unhelpful than helpful and hand sanitizer is a must.
Sophomores McKenzie Floyd and Ansley Hamilton have both succeeded in not getting sick so far this school year, partially because they adhere to such rules, but also because of their living situations. Hamilton said that since she now lives in an apartment, she interacts with less people.
“Last year I lived in HBB [Hook, Brannock and Barney] and got sick way too often because I was always around the girls in my hall,” Hamilton said.
According to Archinal, the number of students coming into the office to get checked for illnesses has decreased so far during the current academic year. Flu cases are less prevalent on a statewide scale, too, because the vaccine has a 45 percent match to this year’s strain. The number of North Carolina sick cases related to the flu this season is just 2.4 percent, which is low when compared to the 2.1 percent of sick cases related to the flu not during the flu season.
If a student shows symptoms of or comes in contact with someone with the flu, they are encouraged to make a doctor’s appointment within 48 hours. After the appointment, he or she might be prescribed Tamiflu or Relenza — an antiviral medication for Type A and Type B influenza — if they have symptoms of the illness. Relenza reduces the duration of the flu by a day and a half and reduces the risk of developing secondary pneumonia, which can be very serious.
Archinal said eating well, getting enough sleep and avoiding touching one’s face are basic methods to help prevent the flu and other illnesses that travel fast on campus. It’s OK for a person to get sick, she said, because some illnesses are unavoidable. That is the reason Health Services exists.
“I’ve been a physician for 33 years, and the one thing I’ve learned is that nobody is perfect,” Archinal said. “If everybody did everything perfectly, a lot of us would be out of a job.”
Health Services has made a few changes this year, emphasizing call-in appointments to decrease wait-times. So far, this initiative has been successful. With the new online medical record system that Health Services began this year, the office hopes to offer a patient portal in the near future for students to schedule their own appointments online.
Some students have developed a preference for the doctors that work in Health Services. Archinal said several students decided to defer making appointments at home during Fake Break, and instead waited until they returned to Elon to see the doctors on campus.
“The goal for Student Health and of Dean [Jana Lynn] Patterson is to make student health accessible and available, while at the same time providing equal if not better care than if you were to see your doctor at home,” Archinal said.
As the days get warmer and students spend more time outside in the following weeks, it is likely the number of sick students will decline. Archinal’s suggestions for preventing illness could prove beneficial in helping students avoid missing classes, work and other activities.
To make an appointment with Health Services, students can call 336-278-7230 and request to be seen. If a student is unable to walk to the Health Services building, Sick Rides is a free service that picks up and drops off students at their residence. To request a Sick Ride, call 336-278-2700 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday.