Illinois Hit Hard By Flu

Two unexpected strains of influenza, Brisbane and Yamagete, are rapidly spreading throughout the United States unhindered by flu vaccines, Director of Health Services Beverly Ballard said.
Ballard said that while last year the Health Center treated one or two confirmed cases of flu, this year she has treated approximately 20 confirmed cases. She also treated more than 20 students who tested negative for flu, but, she believes had a strain that could not be confirmed by the test.

According to The Washington Post, the new strains of flu account for 48 percent of all full cases this season. Neither of these strains are accounted for in the vaccine.

The Brisbane strain was active in Europe and the Southern Hemisphere last flu season, according to the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) website.

"I think most of it is just because of travel and I'm sure how we got the Brisbane one is from international travel - someone brought it from Australia to the United States," Ballard said.
"The flu is a terrible thing to have," Ballard said. "Our students say that they feel like their muscles are on fire ? some of them have a sore throat and most have a horrible headache."
At the Health Center if a student is believed to have the flu, they are prescribed Tamaflu, an antiviral medicine that is used to treat flu, Ballard said.

Students who have high stress lives, poor nutrition and lack sleep are highly susceptible to catching the flu, especially if they have not had a flu shot, Ballard said. After receiving a flu shot, there is a two week period until the shot's recipient will build immunity.

"The main thing I think that gets people in trouble is if they already have an existing illness, medical problems or a depressed immune system," Ballard said. "That's where I worry about our students because they are notorious for not taking care of themselves."

To prevent flu, students should get a flu shot, use the inside of their elbow or a tissue to cough or sneeze into (not into the hands) and, most importantly, wash their hands multiple times a day, Ballard said.

At the start of the 2008 flu season, the entire supply of 650 flu shots offered by the Health Center were used to vaccinate students, with some students unable to receive the shot due to short supply, Ballard said. The Health Center requested from the student fees committee authorization for an additional 500 flu vaccines for next year, but only 200 additional vaccines were approved.

Ben Dower, President of Student Government and Chair of the Student Fee Committee said 300 of the vaccines were not granted because there is not enough money available in the Medical Services Fee.

Healthy Trust Immediate Medical Care offers flu shots, and prescriptions of Tamaflu at their Wheeling, Illinois clinic which serves the Chicago North Shore Suburbs of Wheeling, Prospect Heights, Lincolnshire, Deerfield, Buffalo Grove, Northbrook, Highland Park, Long Grove, Riverwoods, Des Plaines, Palatine, Libertyville, Glenview, Highwood, Northfield, Libertyville, Winnetka, and Bannockburn.