Get a Step Ahead of Flu Season

Still swear that slurping Mom’s special soup is the best way to sidestep sickness?

Well, Mom’s not on campus. Still, the best way to avoid getting sick this winter is to practice all of those prevention methods that she’s drilled into your head since kindergarten: Wash your hands. Cover your mouth. Don’t share drinks.

“The best things students can do are preventative,” says Leonard Kaes, a pharmacist at Bethesda North Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. We’ll take a look at some common illnesses, such as the flu and mono. But first, Kaes serves up some prevention tips, university-style:

Prevent Yourself From Getting Sick By:

Carrying a secret weapon.

If you’re sharing a bathroom or computer lab with 20 other people, washing your hands won’t cut it. Carry a pocket-sized hand sanitizer with you at all times -- bonus points if it’s on a keychain so you’ll never lose it. Kaes especially recommends using one after taking a cab and before eating at a restaurant.

Keepin’ it clean.

That tissue you just used to blow your nose in during class? Throw it away! No, don’t put it in your pocket or on your desk to use for later. Throw it away.

Keeping your hands off!

Avoid touching your face and you’ll avoid sickness (and zits).

Taking your Flintstones.

Vitamins or a product like Airborne might help reduce your symptoms at the onset of an illness.

BYOB.

Stay away from germy Solo cups by bringing your own. Just be sure you’re …

Drinking less beer and more water.

Kaes warns to be wary of your alcohol intake if you’re taking meds: “Someone who’s drinking a lot shouldn’t take acetaminophen.” It can cause liver damage, and ibuprofen is also tough on stomachs and could lead to bleeding if taken with alcohol. “If you feel bad enough that you have to take something, you shouldn’t be drinking,” says Kaes. Plus, your body will run more efficiently if you keep it hydrated.

Kaes also recommends that students “eat right, sleep right -- the normal things you’d do to try to stay healthy.”

Didn’t find these helpful hints in time -- and already feeling under-the-weather? Keep reading for info on some common ailments, but definitely seek healthcare if you’re feeling any symptoms of an illness. “The minute-clinics are a lot like going to a doctor’s office,” says Kaes, since they have trained professionals on staff.

Diagnosis It, Now! You might have INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS If you feel feverish and have a sore throat or swollen lymph glands.

Mono stems from the Epstein-Barr virus, which infects as many as 95 percent of adults ages 35 to 40 in the United States. Known as the kissing disease, the transmission of mono requires intimate contact with another person’s saliva -- but the incubation period is around five weeks, so people with mono can spread it to others without even knowing they’re sick. For this reason, mono is almost impossible to prevent -- but that doesn’t mean you can’t try.

What to do now?

If a blood test reveals you have mono, treat the symptoms -- no antiviral drugs or vaccines are available. “There’s not much you can do for mono other than rest up,” Kaes says. In some cases, steroids are prescribed to control tonsil and throat swelling. Most importantly, keep your saliva to yourself! Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, don’t share drinks -- especially at parties -- and refrain from making out with that third-floor hottie for the time being.

“I wasn’t the typical mono case because I wasn’t tired,” says Ohio State University senior Lyndsie Rabung, who had mono last February. “I had to take steroids to get the inflammation down. I felt better within a week.” Rabung recommends knowing your body’s limits and resting.

You might have INFLUENZA

If you feel feverish and achy, have the chills and are experiencing diarrhea and/or vomiting.

Flu season commonly peaks in January or February, so it’s a good idea to prepare for it now. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu vaccine is designed to protect against the three main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness. This year, the vaccine will protect against the H1N1 virus, along with two others. Kaes recommends getting the flu shot but warns that students can show flu symptoms with the nasal spray, since it contains a live virus.

What do I do now?

According to the CDC, you should stay home for a full 24 hours after your fever has gone. So if you have the flu, email your professors: They’d rather miss seeing your smiling face for one day than have you infect 10 other people in class.

Along with 45 others, Tyler Jeske, a freshman at the University of Dayton, contracted the H1N1 virus while attending the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2009. Jeske’s advice to students: “Don’t be stubborn.” His flu turned into pneumonia after he left it untreated, but he says others who received TAMIFLU fared much better. Jeske got a flu shot this year: “I think my immune system is like Superman now.”

You might have BRONCHITIS

If you feel fatigue, have soreness in your chest or throat, have a cough that produces mucus and are experiencing a low-grade fever (below 102 F).

Bronchitis is a chest cold that occurs when the bronchial tubes in the lungs become inflamed. Symptoms can last up to two weeks, though the cough can linger for as long as eight. Bronchitis is often caused by the flu, so it’s important to see a doctor if your symptoms don’t clear up.

What to do now?

Over-the-counter medications may help. You should also avoid secondhand smoke. Acute bronchitis often goes away by itself, and taking antibiotics when they’re unnecessary can be harmful.

You might have the COMMON COLD

If you have a stuffy, runny nose and watery eyes, and can’t stop sneezing or coughing.

What to do now?

Since there’s no cure for the common cold, try over-the-counter medicines to treat symptoms: ibuprofen for headaches, phenylephrine for a stuffy nose and dextromethorphan for a cough -- just make sure you examine the labels carefully for instructions.

If you have a bacterial infection, your doctor might prescribe an antibiotic. Using a nasal irrigation device called a Neti Pot can also help clear your sinuses. But if your temperature rises above 100.4 F -- and symptoms aren’t relieved by OTC meds or last more than 10 days -- see a doc.

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