"Imagine your head is a balloon and it's floating away," said April Mims, a junior, describing the sensation caused by two Sudafed tablets she took Wednesday night to combat her flu symptoms.
It's that time of year again.
Jean Hanson, assistant director of the Duke Student Health Center, said although she does not have exact numbers, in the past weeks she has treated a larger than normal number of students. Ailments range from the common cold to the flu to gastrointestinal illness, she said.
Mims, a Craven Quadrangle resident, said while she is reluctant to take prescription medication, she eventually succumbed after her symptoms became too much. At least 75 percent of people on her hall are sick, she said.
"I think the problem is the heaters [in the dorms] make the air very dry," she said, adding that the workload of a new semester does not help either.
Hanson said the cold weather forces people to stay inside more, and that, as a result of the close contact, illnesses spread more easily. Most students she has seen complain of fever, aches and pains. Her prescription includes plenty of rest, gargling with salt water, and most importantly, washing hands frequently with soap and water, as well as keeping them away from your face. She said, though, that most students are trying to make it to class.
Aarash Haghighat, a sophomore living in Kilgo Quadrangle, complained of a sore throat, fever and a lot of coughing.
"I had to leave two of my classes because I was coughing too much," he said.
He added that while he is very tired, his regimen for getting better consists of solely over-the-counter medication. He said the long walk to the Health Center deterred him from seeking strong treatment.
On East Campus, the diagnosis is just as grim. Rondy Elliott, a nurse at the East Campus Wellness Center, said that she saw 19 different students Thursday, most of them freshmen. Nine of her 19 patients had full blown flu, the virus influenza. She added that none of the students had received a flu shot.
"Particularly with [sorority] rush going on, people are in rooms and close up talking to one another," she said. However, she has seen an equal number of men and women.
"If they're going to get it, they're going to get it because the virus is prevalent," Elliott said.
She added that while some students are going to classes, she has given out a lot of dean's excuses. She stressed that with all the social events currently going on at Duke, including tenting at Krzyzewskiville, students should make sure they are eating right, dressing warmly and getting plenty of rest.
"[Tenting] doesn't help," Hanson said, laughing.
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