Sore throats, sniffling noses and coughing classmates are hard to escape this time of year, particularly on college campuses.
CSULB’s students seem to have gotten a head start on the cold and flu season this fall. During the month of September, more than 160 students visited Student Health Services (SHS), said Kathleen Clark from the Health Resource Center (HRC).
“Everyone seems to be getting sick right now,” said Elizabeth Crepps, a junior literature and creative writing major. This includes Crepps, who recently came down with a cold.
Close contact between students in the campus community may aid the spread of illnesses. Sitting together in classrooms, eating together and living together in apartments or dorms frequently expose students to easily transmitted diseases.
However, the most prevalent reason students get sick may lie in their lifestyle choices.
“Stress, poor sleep habits, [improper] nutrition and poor hydration all weaken the immune system, which makes catching a virus much easier,” said representatives from the HRC.
College students are no exception to this threat to the immune system. Between classes, studying, writing papers, working and trying to have a social life, little time is left for sleep and proper eating is the least of most people’s concerns.
“I don’t get nearly enough sleep,” Crepps said. She said she thinks that may be what caused her to catch a cold so early in the semester. “I had several days in a row where I got very little sleep.”
Crepps also said that she has “very poor eating habits. I eat whenever there’s time in my schedule and whatever’s readily accessible.” She described her stress level as “very high, especially at the beginning of the semester with the start of classes, involvement in organizations and work.”
Trying to balance a busy schedule between work and school can create a great deal of stress, making it easier for the already overburdened student to get sick.
“I’m busiest when I have deadlines [for classes], and I work on weekends,” said Robert Lopez, a transfer student and music major. “It’s mentally taxing.”
Like most students, Lopez said he averages about five hours of sleep every night and sometimes skips meals, particularly
breakfast.
While the flu and cold are the most common illnesses to spread quickly around campus, other infectious diseases that impact college students include mononucleosis, staph infections, strep throat and meningococcal disease (or meningitis).
Mononucleosis, commonly known as the “kissing disease,” is a virus that causes fever, sore throat and swollen glands in the neck, Clark said. It is transmitted orally between people through kissing and sharing food or utensils, and can be prevented by avoiding these activities and practicing good hand-washing.
Staphylococus aureus (or staph) are bacteria that reside in the nose or on the skin of healthy people, and can cause mild skin infections (such as pimples) or severe illnesses (like pneumonia), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The bacteria are often spread from one person to another through direct contact or the sharing of personal items. The best ways to prevent a staph infection are to avoid sharing personal items and practice good hygiene, particularly in public places such as on campus or at the gym.
Strep throat is caused by group A streptococci bacteria found in the throat and on the skin, said one CDC report. “These bacteria are spread through direct contact with mucus from the nose or throat of persons who are infected or through contact with infected wounds or sores on the skin.” Transmission can be prevented by washing the hands after coughing and sneezing and before handling foods.
According to the CDC, “meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person’s spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain.” There are two types of meningitis –
viral and bacterial – and both cause flu-like symptoms. However, bacterial meningitis is more severe and can lead to brain damage or death when left untreated. Methods of transmission include air droplets that contain the virus or bacteria, and close contact with an infected person.
CSULB Student Health Services provides the meningitis vaccination to students for $90 every Monday and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Appointments can be made by phone.
