Influenza, commonly known as the flu, killed over 20 million people worldwide from 1918 to 1919. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20,000 Americans die and 110,000 are hospitalized by the effects of influenza each flu season. While University researchers seek to control the virus, student infections continue to rise this flu season.
In the past two weeks alone, Elson Student Health Center reported more flu cases than all of last year.
Although manufacturing problems caused an initial shortage of this year's flu vaccine, Student Health now has a full supply.
"Luckily we have been able to give a vaccine to everyone asking for it," Student Health Nursing Supervisor Sandi Murray said.
Still, the nurse expressed concern that some students fear the vaccine will give them the flu. In fact, flu vaccines cannot cause infection because they do not contain live viruses.
The flu is a highly contagious disease caused by a viral infection targeting the lungs. Although symptoms of the flu usually last two to five days and no longer than two weeks, infection may lead to life-threatening illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis - especially in the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
The flu commonly is confused with the cold because both cause fatigue, coughing and nasal congestion. Yet some symptoms unique to the flu include body aches, headaches, loss of appetite, sore throat and dry cough.
"The most distinguishing characteristic of the flu is a fever," Murray said.
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Students suffering from severe flu symptoms should have a friend cart them to Student Health as soon as possible for a free diagnosis, she said.
In the way of flu treatment, Student Health uses anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu. Within 40 hours of flu symptoms, drugs can be administered to significantly decrease the length of infection.
After that time period, Murray recommends over-the-counter flu medications such as Tylenol or Advil to combat fever.
She also pointed out the need for good hygiene to prevent spreading the flu through coughing and sneezing, and emphasized the need to drink plenty of fluids and to rest.
New flu research
Two of the newest flu treatments include inter-nasal vaccination and neuraminidase inhibitors, such as the Tamiflu medication available at Student Health.
Frederick Hayden, a physician and flu expert at the University's Center of Epidemiology and Virology, studies novel influenza treatments on families in Charlottesville.
For the past six years, Hayden's main focus has been on neuraminidase inhibitors. This new class of medicine represents an advancement in flu treatment - the drugs are easy to take as a pill or inhaled powder and have few side effects. More importantly, the drugs can treat all influenza classes of clinical concern.
Taken twice daily for five days, medications like Tamiflu may decrease the severity and duration of flu complications early on. After many clinical successes, Hayden said his goal is "to now get them in the hands of all practicing physicians to make it a clinical reality."
Hayden also studies nasal vaccination, a technique under review by the Food and Drug Administration. Although this treatment uses a live but weakened virus, Hayden said it still seems safe and sometimes even more effective than traditional vaccines. The nasal spray has proven successful especially with children who are afraid of needles.
Of course, some big kids don't like to get shots either: "I can't stand needles," third-year College student Lauren Nelson said, cringing.
Costs will determine the extent to which the spray is used. Meanwhile, the flu vaccine still is the most effective, low-cost means of prevention.
How the flu vaccine is made
The most current samples of the three flu strains are included in the vaccine. But isn't predicting flu strains even harder than predicting the weather? The World Health Organization networks a global surveillance system categorizing flu incidence by strain. Between one to two weeks after getting stuck with the needle, the body makes antibodies. Like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, the antibody must fit to the strain to induce the body's immune response.
With particular antibodies, the body can recognize certain characteristics common to similar strains of the flu.
Flu vaccines typically are 70-90 percent effective with protection lasting up to a year, according to WHO. Still, year after year, the flu can torment even those University students who have been vaccinated.
Hayden gave his diagnosis of the situation: "The flu is a problem because it keeps reinventing itself."
Influenza has a high rate of mutation - it sometimes creates new strains that infect previously immune students. Still, for Nelson and other students afraid of needles, some research suggests building natural immunity to the flu may provide better long-term protection. But the flu forecast still remains: Expect no epidemic, but always prepare for bad weather.
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