Despite the unseasonably warm weather, Dartmouth students are still susceptible to many winter ailments, and many have gone to Dick's House seeking treatment for the most common, the flu.
College Health Services Director Jack Turco said although numerous cases of influenza have been documented in the Upper Valley area, it is difficult to ascertain the extent of the flu problem on campus.
According to Turco, the only sure way to tell if a student is infected by the flu is to draw blood, which is rarely done when flu symptoms are seen in Dick's House patients.
He said more sophisticated testing done at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center shows that a strain of influenza is hitting the surrounding area.
"The strain of influenza hitting Dartmouth students is not a particularly bad one as compared to previous years," Turco said.
But he said the disease "is rarely dangerous among students, just annoying."
Sara Strammiello '98, who is currently sick, said it is hard being ill at Dartmouth.
"I just want to be home lying in bed watching TV with my mother bringing me chicken soup," she said. "Here I feel like I'm getting behind on my work for every second I'm sick. It's hard to wake up for class and even harder to pay attention if you do make it there."
Turco suggests students dress warmly, eat well and get sleep to protect themselves from contracting the flu.
"I was going to take a shower and I was in a towel walking down the hall," Aaron Schumacher '98 said. "Our fire alarm went off so I grabbed a jacket and went outside. Standing outside with no socks or shirt was quite cold. Now, one day later, I'm sick."
Turco expects to see students catch the flu for the remaining four to six weeks of the term.
"There is a certain amount of luck involved in not becoming infected with the disease. When there is a lot of flu going around, it is very difficult to protect yourself," Turco said.
He said although influenza typically wears out as the winter goes on, there will be a rise of infected students at the end of the term when students are run down and most susceptible to the flu.
Dick's House has also seen a large number of students suffering from intestinal problems and not just the fever and cough that accompany the flu.
According to Turco symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea are not generally associated with the flu.
