"We have had a relatively quiet winter," Turco said. "But that may be because we haven't seen the peak yet."
Turco said that the College's low number of flu and upper respiratory cases correlates with the numbers for the state of New Hampshire.
Although there may be many reasons for the decrease in illnesses, Turco suggested Health Services' campaign to increase personal hygiene as one possibility.
"We've been trying to emphasize better hygiene," Turco said. "We'd like to think that may be playing a role."
While more students received influenza vaccines this year than last year, atypical bouts of warm weather may also be preventing the spread of disease.
"Influenza spreads faster when people are spending more time indoors coughing and sneezing," Turco said. "Maybe people have been out a little bit more."
While the number of upper respiratory infections may be down, this winter is similar to past winters in terms of other illnesses.
"We've seen the usual number of students with mononucleosis, as well as a few cases of conjunctivitis," Turco said. "We tend to get that all the time."
Turco also said there has been a typical number of gastrointestinal infections, or the stomach flu, which is always common on campus during the winter.
When it comes to seeking medical help, students seem to use the resources at Health Services when they know they need specific prescription medication.
"Originally, I just had a regular cold, but when I woke up and my eyes were red, I knew I needed something more than cold medication. I went to Dick's House to get medication that I couldn't get myself," said Emily Marshall '09, who was diagnosed with an upper respiratory tract infection and conjunctivitis.
While students appear to be satisfied with Health Services' willingness to dispense medication, those who contract viruses that cannot be treated with antibiotics or illnesses of shorter duration are choosing to fight them on their own instead of using the resources at Dick's House.
"I primarily use Dick's House for prescription medication," Kacy Gordon '06 said. "I was pretty sure it was just a virus and if I couldn't get a prescription for it I didn't see any reason to go in."
Gordon, however, said she would have sought help at Dick's House if her problem persisted.
"If my fever hadn't broken I would have gone in," she said.
Others find that staying bundled up in bed outweighs the benefits of trekking to the College's health center, especially when feeling under the weather.
"I got sick [Sunday] morning," Kyle Sherry '09 said. "If I lived anywhere near Dick's House, I probably would have made the trip up there. But since it's such a long walk from the River, I figured I'd be better off just staying in my room rather than venturing out into the cold."
