Every academic year, one of the most dreaded parts of being in college is the spread of flu across schools nationwide. The close living quarters, shared restrooms and a lot of social activities put college students at a higher risk to catch the flu.
It is not only that, even the factors in the unhealthy habits of many undergrads including binge drinking, lack of sleep, unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, make it easy for them to get sick, according to Men's Health. While waves of the flu are to be expected, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have decided to take some precautionary measures and are being proactive in the event of an outbreak.
They make there is always a presence of people always cleaning, most especially in the common areas where a lot of students share, like the library.
Louanne Weber is the Director of Student Health Services at UTC said that there has been an increase in the flu cases this year, and they are seeing a combination of both types A and B in the same patient, WRCBtv reported. It is also easier to transmit especially in large classroom settings if people have fever, sneezing, runny nose and coughing.
Due to the spread of influenza, some public school districts have already closed but UTC remains. However, Weber said colleges can be hot spots for the flu. Students come into school and will not be leaving school until the end of the day, so if there are sick people around, the virus can spread very quickly.
According to the health department, compared to last year, the cases of flu-like symptoms are fewer. At present, classes are still ongoing at UTC but they may temporarily be cancelled as flu season peaks.
