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SMU students already have enough to worry about — they probably don’t want to add the flu to their lists. However, with the lack of flu shots this season, many students are concerned that they are at high risk for getting sick.

“The flu is definitely something I’m concerned about,” said junior Lauren Huddleston. “I don’t want to get sick.”

Huddleston, who lives in an apartment, is probably at a lower risk for the flu than many students who live in communal accommodations, such as residence halls or Greek housing.

“A student’s immune system is already not 100 percent,” said Cheryl Black, director of nursing at the Memorial Health Center. “If you combine that with communal living environment, then you have a risk.”

Both junior Elizabeth George and senior Meredith McGrath live in their sorority house and feel they are at a higher risk.

“If one person gets sick, everyone will,” George said. “I’m scared about getting sick and staying sick. You can’t control other people spreading their germs.”

McGrath believes becoming ill is practically unavoidable when students live with so many other people. “I lived in an apartment for two years, and this is the first year I’ve been sick. Living here is stressful and prohibits you from getting a lot of rest. In my sorority house, if you stay home when you’re not feeling well, you’re still around a ton of people,” she said.

Black said that when students arrive at SMU, many of their healthy routines diminish. They exercise and rest less, change their eating patterns and regularly experience stress and exposure to alcohol and smoke. These poor habits increase students’ chances of becoming ill.

“All the good, healthy habits really support the immune system,” Black said. “When you stop practicing these habits, the immune system weakens.”

An average of 5 to 20 percent of the population gets the flu every year in the United States. Over 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and 36,000 people die each year, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Although they do not list college students as people who should be given priority for flu shots, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention does note that college students are at risk. The Centers claim there are a number of ways for students to prevent the flu, including avoiding contact with people who are sick and not attending class when you do not feel well.

Black believes the best way for people to avoid the flu, is to wash their hands. “I like to keep hand sanitizer around all the time. People are constantly touching things like doorknobs so it’s important to keep your hands clean,” she said.

Black also notes that there are some misconceptions about the flu virus. “When you get the flu, you usually have a high fever and basically feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. You’re very weak and are usually sick for about five days. So many students come to the health center thinking they have the flu when they don’t. A lot of people think that when you have the flu you experience nausea and vomiting, but that’s not the case,” she said.

Students who are worried about obtaining the virus but can’t get a flu shot have another option. Some places, such as Aqua medical spa, located across from campus on Hillcrest Avenue, carry a nasal spray called FluMist. FluMist contains live, weakened influenza virus and is sprayed into the nostrils rather than injected into the muscle, according to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

“FluMist is ideal for people 5 to 49-years-old and is as effective as the flu shot,” Black said. “We are checking into the possibility of offering it at the Health Center at mid- to end-November, but it depends on availability. If we do end up offering it, there will probably be a limited supply.”

For students who end up fighting the flu this season, Black suggests they take Tamiflu, a prescription medicine for the virus.

Black wants to remind students that the doctors and nurses at the Memorial Health Center do not write excuses for students, even if they do catch the flu this season. “Students should be proactive in contacting their professors,” she said. “Professors are usually very understanding if they know what’s going on.”

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