Summer Zofrea isn't feeling well—and she's not the only one.
"It hurts to walk, it hurts to move my head," she said, sitting on her couch in an apartment off campus. "And then of course the chills, I feel just freezing all the time."
Zofrea has the flu. She's one of about 20 to 25 students who went to the Engemann Student Health Center on Tuesday with flu-like symptoms.
Dr. Sarah Van Orman, Engemann's Chief Health Officer, said her data on students with flu-like symptoms indicate that USC is in the middle of a flu outbreak.
"This is a particularly bad flu season," she said. "[It] is really persisting. In many years when we see this high a peak, we also see cases start to decline and that doesn't appear to be happening."
Zofrea said she first felt sick when she woke up Monday morning. She went to the pharmacy and bought a thermometer. She had a fever of 103.1 degrees. Since then, her symptoms have included a sore throat, chills and nasal congestion.
Dr. Van Orman said those symptoms are normal for this strain of the flu—and can last up to three to four days.
"People often describe body aches, like everything hurts all over," she said. "Their joints ache, they're very achy. And then finally, they have a sudden onset of either a cough or a sore throat. People with the flu often feel like they can't really get out of bed."
She also said the flu spreads fast in university environments like USC. The number of students in close quarters who use the same doorknobs, elevator buttons and fingerprint scanners in residential dorms all add to the risk of getting the flu.
To avoid the virus, she recommends washing your hands thoroughly and often.
It's also not too late, she said, to get a flu shot. This year the vaccine isn't as effective in years past, but "if someone has the flu shot, even if they get sick, they're much less likely to have that severe illness."
Flu shots are available on campus at the health center and campus pharmacy located in the student union.
If you get the flu, Dr. Van Orman says to stay home. "In many cases, self-care is appropriate."
That's what Zofrea's been doing. But she still is looking forward to feeling better soon.
"I would rather go to all my classes and do all my work and have to take all my midterms than feel like this. It sucks. "
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