Everyone on campus is sick -- or at least it seems that way.
Fevers, sore throats, coughing and fatigue are currently sweeping the Dartmouth community as it battles the first viral wave of 1999 winter.
The flu may be interrupting the work and sleep schedules of many students, but according to Jack Turco, director of Health Services at Dick's House, this wave of viruses is completely normal for this time of year.
Turco added that the fact that students are cooped up inside where germs cannot escape contributes to the spread of the viruses.
Eliot Grigg '01 complained of a headache, coughing, sore throat and aching. When he went to Dick's House, the doctor told him that it was just a typical virus.
Turco said that most students who have come into Dick's House have upper respiratory infections, whose symptoms include high fevers, coughs and sore throats.
"I suspect that it's not so dissimilar from a lot of other winter terms," Turco said.
He said that most students do not have lower intestinal infections, which involve nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
David Martin '00 who was afflicted with the virus corroborated Turco's observation. "The only thing I didn't have a problem with was my stomach. I could eat just fine," Martin said.
Turco said that since the students have returned to Hanover following winter break, a large number have come in sick. Many have even needed to spend the night.
The students who were admitted, Turco said, seemed sicker than the other students who visited Dick's House. Usually they had fevers of between 103 and 104 degrees.
He said that Dick's House has to be careful, at a time when there are so many people with the same virus, that students with serious problems are not overlooked because they have similar symptoms to everyone else.
"You don't want to miss someone who has something different that is more dangerous," Turco said. He said that the doctors have to keep their eyes open for possible cases of pneumonia and meningitis, which starts out looking like the flu.
If a student demonstrates symptoms more dangerous than those of the virus that is sweeping the campus, they are usually kept at Dick's House for observation.
When at Dick's House, the students who have the common virus usually get well enough to function within 24 hours, Turco said.
Students may be able to function, but many complain about persisting symptoms.
"I've been sick so far for almost a week," Kari Hacker '02 said. "I have been getting excessive amounts of sleep, taking Tylenol, vitamins, eating well and getting lots of fluids."
This regime, Turco said, is the best method students can use to get better.
"If it is a viral infection, all you can do is treat the symptoms and wait for the virus to run its course," Turco said. He suggested Advil or Tylenol to relieve headaches and fevers, and cough suppressants to lessen the effects of a cough. He also said that getting rest and drinking fluids can help students to get well more quickly.
