The kind of cold a heater doesn’t cure

The leaves have changed colors and the snow is starting to fall, as autumn works its way into winter. Every student is preparing for the cold weather, but there is another type of cold that is catching.

Cold and flu season has begun, and Dr. John Barret, staff physician at the Student Health and Wellness Center, has offered some helpful information to help students know which ailment is which.

Initially, Barret said, it can be hard to tell the difference between having a cold or flu. He said the two are completely different viruses. He said a cold is usually caused by a rhinovirus — a virus predominantly found in the nose — while flu is caused by either influenza A or influenza B.

"Influenza A symptoms that distinguish it from a cold are body aches and fever," he said. "People often describe … they feel like they've been hit by a truck. There's this overwhelming feeling of ‘I want to lie down.'" He said this is called prostration.

Barret said colds usually have less severe symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and nasal congestion. He said the symptoms of flu are often more serious — especially with influenza A — affecting the whole body.

"Both are very, very infectious," Barret said, because the germs spread through respiratory droplets when someone coughs or sneezes.

Some viruses seem to be more serious than others, Barret said, because different pathogens have different properties, which make them more serious and infectious. He said some pathogens can even be deadly. He said influenza has two antigens — H and N — which make it different from colds.

"Antigens are structures on the surface of the virus that the immune system recognizes," Barret said.

He said that antigens play a key role in how the immune system fights off a certain virus.

"If the immune system doesn't recognize the antigen very well, it makes it a more serious illness, because the immune system isn't effective at fighting it as well," Barret said. "This is why when you get a mutation — a new virus people haven't seen much of, like the swine flu — it's much more serious."

These viruses seem to be present mostly in the winter time, but Barret said colds pass year round. He said there are two reasons why colds are more common during the winter.

"(Number one,) all viruses are better preserved at colder temperatures," Barret said. "Number two, people are inside, passing it more readily."

Barret said cold and flu symptoms generally last about 7-10 days, and the best suggestion for recovery is lots of fluids and rest. He also said people should get vaccinated for flu each year, because flu antigens change each year.

The developers of flu vaccines have to estimate how it will change each year in order to fight it accordingly, he said.

Joanna Zattiero, adjunct music professor, said she recently encountered the flu and is still recovering from the setback.

"I'm still a week behind," Zattiero said. "I've never been able to catch up."

She said although she was vaccinated, she got sick a few weeks later. However, she said, she doesn't believe it was the seasonal flu but some other form of the flu.

Zattiero said it's stressful to get sick as a professor or a student, because there is essentially no such thing as sick days.

"Even from a professor's standpoint, it's hard to make up the time that you've missed, because you can't say everything more quickly," Zattiero said. "You just either have to drop some stuff or find a way to incorporate more into a lecture."

She said it's difficult for students to make up missed work after an illness, as well.

Missing class due to illness is definitely not anything new, but Zattiero said she finds it difficult to discern between students who are really sick and students who are just making excuses. She said she suggests students visit a doctor and get a note to bring to class.

Chealsey Leach, a junior studying business, recently experienced a cold, and said she missed a few classes and even a few quizzes. Leach said she hopes she can catch up.

She said she prefers holistic remedies such as orange juice and eating healthy, and even tried the immunity boost shots from Jamba Juice, in hopes they would help.

Leach said she believes the stress of getting sick may actually cause some students to become more susceptible to illness.

"This is kind of the time of the year when everyone anticipates getting sick," Leach said. "Stress really brings down your immune system."

She said she suggest students take care of themselves in advance to prevent getting sick in the first place. She said getting plenty of sleep, taking care of personal hygiene and eating healthy may be an essential prevention strategy.