While the start of a semester often leads to an increase in illness, Lehigh’s Health and Wellness Center is reporting an unusually high number of seasonal flu cases this spring compared to years past.
An email from the Health and Wellness Center sent to the campus community on Jan. 28 encouraged community members to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for protection against respiratory illnesses in face of the recent flu spike. The guidelines include isolating while ill, handwashing and returning to normal activities after being fever free for 24 hours.
Steven Bowers, medical director of the Health and Wellness Center, said the outbreak is isolated to the flu. He said there have been no positive COVID-19 diagnoses and only one respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) diagnosis on campus.
Tom McAndrew, professor in the College of Health, said it’s not out of the ordinary for flu cases to spike during the winter on college campuses and throughout the rest of the country, but cases are spiking higher than predicted on campus.
Bowers said he hasn’t experienced “a big spike of flu like this” in the three years he’s worked at Lehigh.
McAndrew said this influenza season has recorded a higher number of hospitalizations than in previous years, indicating an increased amount of severe cases.
Lehigh’s campus is not an anomaly in the state. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, cases have been “very high” this season, with almost 100,000 diagnoses being reported as of Feb. 1.
Bowers said the best way to prevent illness or decrease the symptoms of the flu is to get vaccinated.
Vaccinated students who visited the Health and Wellness Center and tested positive for the flu had much milder symptoms than those who weren’t vaccinated, he said.
There are four types of the flu virus: A, B, C and D, according to the CDC.
Bowers said all positive tests on campus have come back as flu A this year. The flu vaccine offered covers three different strains of flu, two of which are subtypes of flu A.
McAndrew said the CDC is able to predict which strains will be dominant based on the Southern Hemisphere flu season.
According to CDC data, the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere typically runs from April to September or October, while flu cases in the Northern Hemisphere usually peak in February and taper out in early spring.
McAndrew said trends in the Southern Hemisphere’s flu season typically dictate what the illness will look like in the Northern Hemisphere, which is taken into consideration when those in the Northern Hemisphere administer the flu vaccine around December.
“If you look at the flu over seasons, the only thing predictable about it is that it’s unpredictable,” McAndrew said. “It is very difficult to know which years will be worse than others until they are upon us.”
Bowers said students should still get vaccinated this flu season if they haven’t already.
According to Vaccines.gov, there are five locations to get a flu shot within walking distance of Lehigh, including the CVS Pharmacy on West Fourth Street and St. Luke’s HomeStar Pharmacy Services on Ostrum Street.
“It takes about two weeks for antibodies to build up immunity after receiving the flu vaccine,” Bowers said. “Therefore, it’s not too late to protect against the end of this flu season.”
Ava Calandros, ‘28, was diagnosed with the flu at the Health and Wellness Center at the start of this semester. She said she missed more than a week of classes while recovering.
Calandros said her symptoms, including body aches, coughing and congestion, were worse this time in comparison to other times she has had the flu, and she traveled home to recover.
While her professors accommodated her when she had to miss classes, she said it was still challenging to miss the beginning of the semester.
“Coming back, it was hard to readjust to my routine again,” Calandros said.
McAndrew said illness outbreaks are typical on college campuses due to people living in close proximity. While most students can adapt quickly, the flu can be more impactful for vulnerable populations.
“While healthy young adults will likely recover within a week, infant siblings and older grandparents may suffer a harder fight,” McAndrew said.
The Health and Wellness Center is available for appointments throughout the school week, from 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. More information about the center’s services is available on its website.
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