College students and the flu

Every year, the flu spreads across college campuses nationwide. Close living quarters, shared restrooms, and a lot of social activities make a college student more likely to catch the flu.
This MedlinePlus article will give you information about the flu and college students. This is not a substitute for medical advice from your doctor. Topics included:

• WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE FLU?
• HOW DO I TREAT MY SYMPTOMS?
• WHAT ABOUT ANTIVIRAL MEDICATIONS?
• WHEN CAN I RETURN TO SCHOOL?
• SHOULD I GET THE FLU VACCINE?
• WHERE CAN I GET A FLU VACCINE?
• HOW DO I AVOID CATCHING OR SPREADING FLU?
• WHEN SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR?

MedlinePlus is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine & National Institutes of Health

Additional information can be found at:

As Flu Season Approaches, Why Do College Students Ignore the H1N1 Vaccine? 

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) — "Get your flu shot" is advice that many college students ignored in 2009. Findings of a researcher studying the problem highlight the influences of a complex set of interrelated factors, such as students' baseline knowledge, their information seeking, and the credibility of information sources. Students' low response rate is of particular concern because up to November 2009, almost 80 percent of confirmed H1N1 flu cases in the United States occurred in people below age 30. Read more . . . 

College Students Report Low Flu Vaccine Rate. ScienceDaily (Dec. 3, 2012) "With influenza virus already being detected this November, it is likely to increase in the next one to three months and may overlap with exam periods. Although it is hard to predict the severity of the coming flu season, we usually have more influenza activity after a mild season like last year's." Read more . . . 

Flu Vaccine Linked To Reduced Illness, Impairment Of Academic Performance Among College Students. ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2008) — College students who are vaccinated against influenza appear less likely to develop flu-like illnesses, require related health care visits or experience impairments in academic performance during flu season, according to a new report. Read more . . . 

Google: Flu Trends: http://www.google.org/flutrends/ "We've found that certain search terms are good indicators of flu activity. Google Flu Trends uses aggregated Google search data to estimate flu activity."

Florida Department of Health: Acute Respiratory Disease Surveillance report Floridashealth.com 

CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: FluView: weekly influenza surveillance report

Where can you get a flu shot? use the Vaccine Finder ! !