Spring Break
Health center sees rise in number of flu cases
Austin Fast
Issue date: 1/22/08 Section: Front Page
As students flocked back to campus last week and sorority recruitment was in full swing, the flu seemed to be running rampant around Miami University as well.
According to Tammy Gustin, acting director of student health services, the Student Health Services Center has noticed a drastic increase in the number of flu cases coming through the clinic.
"We're currently seeing about 50 cases a day," Gustin said. "Total traffic is about 150 patients per day, so about a third of that are cases of the flu."
Gustin said that initially members of sororities were coming into the health center for treatment, but the center is now seeing more people outside of sorority recruitment.
According to Kelly Baird, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, the system of sorority recruitment has contributed to the spreading of the influenza virus.
"A thousand girls go through our suite and they go through all of the other rooms as well," Baird said. "We've noticed (the flu) being a problem and we tell the girls not to come back to recruitment if they are sick."
Kappa Kappa Gamma seems to have been especially hard hit by the virus. According to sophomore member Morgan Buckey, several women in the sorority went to the health center last Monday to get treatment for their symptoms.
Gustin explained that the treatment prescribed at the health center for influenza is a medication called Tamiflu.
"Since this is a viral infection, (Tamiflu) can't cure the flu," Gustin said. "Tamiflu stops the replication of the virus but it can't entirely take away the symptoms."
Unfortunately, the sudden surge of flu cases at the health center has quickly depleted its stock of Tamiflu.
"We started with an inventory of 15 Tamiflu on Jan. 14," Gustin said.
By the time Buckey and her friends arrived at the health center, late in the day Jan. 14, the entire inventory of Tamiflu had been distributed.
"They were very nice, but they gave me the prescription and they were all out of it," Buckey said. "They told us that we could go to CVS or Kroger."
According to Tammy Gustin, acting director of student health services, the Student Health Services Center has noticed a drastic increase in the number of flu cases coming through the clinic.
"We're currently seeing about 50 cases a day," Gustin said. "Total traffic is about 150 patients per day, so about a third of that are cases of the flu."
Gustin said that initially members of sororities were coming into the health center for treatment, but the center is now seeing more people outside of sorority recruitment.
According to Kelly Baird, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, the system of sorority recruitment has contributed to the spreading of the influenza virus.
"A thousand girls go through our suite and they go through all of the other rooms as well," Baird said. "We've noticed (the flu) being a problem and we tell the girls not to come back to recruitment if they are sick."
Kappa Kappa Gamma seems to have been especially hard hit by the virus. According to sophomore member Morgan Buckey, several women in the sorority went to the health center last Monday to get treatment for their symptoms.
Gustin explained that the treatment prescribed at the health center for influenza is a medication called Tamiflu.
"Since this is a viral infection, (Tamiflu) can't cure the flu," Gustin said. "Tamiflu stops the replication of the virus but it can't entirely take away the symptoms."
Unfortunately, the sudden surge of flu cases at the health center has quickly depleted its stock of Tamiflu.
"We started with an inventory of 15 Tamiflu on Jan. 14," Gustin said.
By the time Buckey and her friends arrived at the health center, late in the day Jan. 14, the entire inventory of Tamiflu had been distributed.
"They were very nice, but they gave me the prescription and they were all out of it," Buckey said. "They told us that we could go to CVS or Kroger."
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BV
posted 6/08/09 @ 4:03 PM EST
We never know when flu season will hit. We do always get a three-week period where the flu hits us, but it's sometimes as early as November or as late as March. (Continued…)
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