BY CHEYENNE ELLIS ’21
This year’s flu season has reached a new high, surpassing records of every season since the 2009 swine flu outbreak. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes the flu is on track to match the magnitude of the swine flu, which was estimated to infect over 34 million Americans, hospitalizing 710,000 and ultimately killing 56,000 people, according to The New York Times. Since the start of the flu season, CNN states that influenza has already claimed the lives of 53 children and the number is expected to rise. A spokesperson for the CDC told CNN that “We have not hit our peak yet, unfortunately. Really, the bottom line is, there is still likely many more weeks to go.”
According to The Washington Post, the predominant strain of influenza circulating the country is H3N2, which is regarded to be the nastiest of the three most common strains. This particular strain has been known to adapt quickly, allowing the virus easy access to the human immune system. This makes children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems particularly susceptible targets for the virus.
Symptoms of the flu can vary greatly from person to person and the broad range of symptoms can cause confusion as to whether someone is suffering from the flu or a common cold. The most common symptoms for the flu include fevers, body or muscle aches, extreme fatigue, headaches, sore throats and runny or stuffy noses, according to The Washington Post. The flu also has a broad recovery time, with some people recovering in a couple days and others taking weeks, sometimes months, to recover.
Every flu season, a vaccine is developed to aid in the prevention of the anticipated strains of the flu. As there is always guesswork involved, the flu vaccine tends to be less effective than other vaccines, with an average of 60% effectiveness during a normal flu season, according to The Washington Post. Unfortunately, a Canadian study has found this year’s vaccine to be only 10% effective, according to CNN. Regardless, officials continue to stress the importance of immunization. A flu shot is able to protect against other strains of influenza, which have also been found in circulation this year, and even if an individual contracts the flu, having been immunized can make symptoms less severe, according to CBS News.
A poll was conducted on the Mount Holyoke Class of 2021 Facebook page to determine how many students received a flu shot this year. Of the 215 students who responded, 114 students said they did, while 101 students did not. Some students suggested that the fees, as well as the inconvenience of getting to vaccine distribution centers like CVS may have contributed to the large number of students who have not received a flu shot. The Mount Holyoke Health Services wants to remind students that the health center “continues to offer flu vaccines and encourages students to receive the vaccine. Flu season usually continues in New England until late spring.”
In addition to vaccination, there are many other ways to prevent the spread of the flu. Although there has not been a large presence of influenza symptoms on campus, Karen Engell, executive director of Mount Holyoke Health Services, named a variety of ways that students can help keep the community healthy.
“For students with flu-like symptoms, we encourage them to stay in their rooms, not attend classes or other activities and to continue treatment for their symptoms (i.e. fluids, fever and headache reducing medications and rest). We provide small supplies of ibuprofen or Tylenol tablets and thermometers if needed, and encourage communication with their faculty. We also arrange a ‘food buddy’ with dining services so that students can have a friend pick up their meals and not need to go to the Dining Commons,” she said. “We also advise the whole community to partake in frequent hand washing, covering when coughing, maintaining at least a three-foot distance from anyone who is coughing and the use of hand sanitizer for shared equipment like computer keyboards.”