How to Avoid Becoming Sick

By Michelle Simon

           Do you have a runny nose, a sore throat or a cough?  If yes, then you are among several other students that are fighting off a cold or the flu. As the weather turns colder and as the stress levels increase during the final weeks of the semester, several students become sick.  Most students will either catch a cold or the flu, but some of the other sicknesses that affect students during this time of the year are: strep throat, upper respiratory infections, pinkeye, or the stomach flu, according to Patti Nielsen, registered nurse at Dana College.

          Most students will catch a cold or the flu, but what is the difference between them?  Both a cold and the flu are illnesses that affect the respiratory tract, but they are caused by different viruses.   These viruses are spread by microscopic droplets that are released when someone sneezes or coughs.  The droplets attach to a nearby surface and once attached another person will come by and touch that surface and become affected.  A cold virus usually only infects the nose and the throat while a flu virus infects the nose, throat, bronchial tubes, and possibly the lungs, according to Brunilda Nazario, doctor of medicine who answered questions for an article on WebMD concerning the flu.  The symptoms for a cold are a sore throat, stuffy nose, runny nose, a cough and a mild fever and the symptoms for the flu are high fever, chills, body aches, and fatigue, according to Cynthia Haines, doctor of medicine, who answered questions for an article on WebMD concerning colds. 

If you do become sick there are a few things that can be done to make you feel more comfortable, but these illnesses cannot be cured by an antibiotic.  Antibiotics only kill bacteria infections, they do not kill viruses.  A cold or the flu just needs to run its course before you can feel better.  According to Nazario, you can take an over-the-counter medication to relieve the fever or aches and drink plenty of non-caffeinated beverages to keep your body hydrated to help you feel more comfortable while you are sick.

          If the symptoms become worse or if you have a fever above 101 degrees for 48 hours, a severe sore throat, yellow/green discharge, a severe earache, severe pain around the sinuses or if symptoms last for more than a week; it is time to see the doctor because you are not just dealing with a cold or the flu and need an antibiotic to clear the infection, according to Nielsen.  Since most students are away from their regular doctors or are not able to get in with their primary doctor there are several places in Blair where one can go to see the doctor and to get medicine.  Listed below are the places in Blair where a student can seek medical help and all of the pharmacies available:

Where to seek medical assistance when you are sick:

·                    Health Services:

- open from 10 a.m. to 1p.m.

-   located on 1^st floor of Argo

-   Patti Nielsen, R.N.

-   Can either give a student an over-the-counter medicine, can

 fax your symptoms to the Blair Clinic and they will call in

a prescription for you or will refer you to the Blair Clinic.

·                    Blair Clinic

- Walk-ins welcome from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday

- Located at 22^nd and College Drive

- Can just walk in and get an appointment with a doctor 

Pharmacies:

·                    Barr Pharmacy

- Located at 1651 Washington Street

- Phone Number: 426-2187

- Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and   8:30 a.m. to 3

p.m. on Saturdays

·                    Blair West Pharmacy

- Located at 1844 Washington Street

- Phone Number: 426-3700

- Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all weekday except Thursdays open till 8

p.m. and 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays

·                    U Save Pharmacy

- Located inside No Frills Supermarket

- Phone Number: 426-9066

- Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and

9a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays

·                    Pamida Pharmacy

- Located inside Pamida

- Phone Number: 426-9189

- Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and

  Friday.  9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and the pharmacy is

  closed on Thursdays and Sundays

¬     All Pharmacies accept most insurance plans

Not only does a person need to know what to do when they become sick, but they also need to know how to prevent themselves from getting sick.  According to Becky Ellsworth, registered pharmacist at No Frills Supermarket, wash your hands often with soap and warm water, cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, use disposable plates, cups and silverware when you are sick to prevent the spread of the infection, and don’t be around people that are sick if you can avoid it.  Also getting plenty of sleep, exercising, maintaining a balanced diet, cleaning living areas with disinfectants and drinking plenty of water will help prevent you from getting sick, according to Nielsen.

According to Nielsen, another major cause of sickness is stress, especially for college students during finals.  Some ways to reduce stress during the final weeks of the semester are to drink plenty of fluids, maintain a balanced diet, participation in physical activity or exercise, and  take a break and rely on friends and family for support and someone to talk to, according to Ellsworth.  Stress will affect all of us, but if we learn how to handle it properly we will prevent ourselves from getting sick during finals.

            These preventative measures are simple ways to help prevent ourselves from getting sick and having to miss classes.  The preventative steps are easy to do and should become a part of our everyday life to insure that diseases do not spread among the Dana campus.  If we all become more aware of the types of illnesses that are affecting us, where to go to seek medical help and how to prevent the spread of diseases, we will all help make the Dana community a  healthier place to live.