Flu season begins early with force, new strains
By Paunie Samreth
Nov. 24, 2003 9:00 p.m.
A box of tissues, cough syrups, pain relievers, hot tea and a
liquid diet ““ it’s an all too familiar, miserable scene
that has struck hundreds of students during the last weeks of the
quarter and right into finals.
Nationwide, flu activity has occurred earlier and stronger than
usual this season, according to the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Additionally, the vaccine given to millions of people this year
does not protect against a strain that has sprung up in parts of
the nation including Texas and Nevada, the two states that have
reported widespread cases of influenza.
The CDC obtains random samples of mucous from people who exhibit
flu-like symptoms, such as a high fever up to 104 degrees, a sudden
cough and extreme fatigue which may last weeks. The common cold, in
contrast, does not usually include a fever.
The samples are then grown in a laboratory and tested for the
flu virus.
Last week, the CDC reported that 10 percent of submitted
specimens grew the flu virus.
“Normally, 2 to 3 percent of the virus (samples) taken
grow influenza around this time of the year,” said Dr. David
Dassey, deputy chief of the Acute Communicable Disease Control
program with the County of Los Angeles Department of Health
Services.
The flu shot is still the most effective way to prevent the flu,
said Evelyn Desser, a nurse practitioner at the Arthur Ashe Student
Health and Wellness Center.
The Center has been holding flu shot fairs for students, faculty
and staff since late October. The shots are free, and the last fair
will be held today from 12 to 3 p.m. at Bruin Plaza, near the
statue.
Commonly known as the flu, influenza infects up to 20 percent of
the U.S. population each year, with about 36,000 people dying from
resulting complications.
Cases of the flu are reported weekly by each state. Most
recently, California reported regional activity of the flu, which
means that outbreaks have occurred in areas that contain less than
50 percent of the state’s population.
According to Dassey, there has been very little activity in Los
Angeles County.
“However, there has been tremendous activity in Sacramento
and Fresno County,” Dassey said.
Keeping records of influenza cases is important because it is
one of the few viral respiratory diseases that kills people, Dassey
added.
Indicators that counties focus on are outpatient visits for
respiratory complaints, admissions into hospitals for respiratory
problems, virus cultures and prescriptions for medication that
specifically work against influenza.
The CDC recommends that individuals who belong in high-risk
groups receive the flu shot every year.
High-risk groups include people who are 65-years-old or older,
young children, people with chronic health conditions, and women
who are more than three months pregnant during the flu season.
“In general, students do not fall into a high risk group
for severe influenza or its complications,” said David
Pegues, infectious disease physician at UCLA Medical Center and the
hospital’s epidemiologist.
Most students choose to get the flu vaccine because they want to
reduce their chances of catching the flu and do not want to be
inconvenienced by it, Desser said.
Some however, decide not to get the vaccine.
“I haven’t been sick the past two to three years, so
I don’t think I’ll get the vaccine this year,”
said Eddie Legaspi, a fifth-year biochemistry and English
student.
Those infected with the virus are encouraged to get plenty of
sleep and stay at home during the first four days of their
illness.
“If you are sick, you can do a great service to your
fellow students by staying home when you’re ill,”
Pegues said.
