With the flu season in full swing, some students may find themselves having to miss class and weekend activities in favor of staying in bed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best way to avoid getting the flu is to get a vaccination every year.

Ray Rodriguez, promotion coordinator for the Thielen Student Health Center, and Pauline Miller, staff physician for the Student Health Center, agree. Every fall and early winter, flu vaccinations become a hot commodity around campus, yet still many students skip their annual shot. Shots are still available and can be given through May.

“In Iowa, the height of the flu season is in February and March,” said Elaine Cox, pediatric manager for McFarland Clinic, 1215 Duff Ave.

For some it is too late. Influenza travels from the coasts inward, Cox said, and for those who have not been vaccinated, travel may have already given them the virus. She said the flu is just beginning to strike in Ames, with the last three weeks marking the start of “flu season.”

“The flu is a virus you pick up that infects primarily your respiratory system,” said Barbara Krumhardt, lecturer in genetics, development and cell biology.

Cox said nine children have died from the flu in 2007, and 36,000 deaths can be attributed to influenza each year.

Cox said the stomach flu is often confused with influenza.

“People think that if they experience diarrhea and vomiting, they have had influenza, but that is the stomach flu,” Cox said. “Influenza is a respiratory problem.”

She said colds are milder than influenza. Symptoms of the cold are weaker and slowly progress.

Flu symptoms strike quickly and include fever, body aches, dry coughs and extreme tiredness.

“You don’t die from the common cold,” Cox said. “You can die from the flu because of complications that follow like pneumonia and bacterial infections.”

Where’s my Mommy?

Living on your own and taking care of yourself when you are sick is a lot different than being pampered by your mother when you catch the flu. Rodriguez and Miller suggest seeking medical care as soon as possible after noticing flulike symptoms. The symptoms of the flu are similar to other infections, so it is best to speak with a health professional when you feel ill.

“There are tests that can determine if you have the flu as long as you are tested within the first two or three days of illness,” Rodriguez said.

Once the doctor diagnoses a case of the flu, rest and an antiviral medication are usually prescribed. Antibiotics do not help cure the flu since influenza is a virus. Rodriguez and Miller recommend taking an acetaminophen such as Tylenol to help ease the muscle aches and fever that often are associated with the flu. They also said some nonmedical treatments are often helpful, as well.

“Let’s be honest, sometimes ‘feeling better’ means eating something that makes us warm and tastes good,” Rodriguez said. “Chicken soup is great for that, as well as nourishing.”

They both said drinking nonalcoholic fluids while fighting off the virus is important because fluids are usually lost with some of the symptoms.

Krumhardt said she had heard of various trials for drugs to combat the flu, but nothing has been too reliable. Most times, someone with the flu must “wait it out” until the body’s immune system attacks the virus.

Krumhardt is a mother of adult twins, and said when her children caught the flu, she would baby them and monitor their fever levels.

“Taking their temperature seemed to make them feel better,” Krumhardt said. “Special attention is usually all it takes.”

Even when your mom’s not around to give you that special attention, it is possible to recover from the flu.

Go to see a doctor as soon as symptoms strike, take a few days to rest and be sure to wash your hands often. This will prevent you from catching other viruses and bacteria, as well as keeping others around you free of the flu. Have your roommates monitor your temperature levels and bring you orange juice and chicken noodle soup.

According to the CDC, the flu can be passed on one day before symptoms appear and up to five days after you have gotten the virus, so during that time you should take extra precautions to avoid passing along the virus.