Cold vs. Flu

By Susan Daily and Susan Wilborn, Health Services Attention all students and parents! Flu and cold season are in session. Both the flu and colds are caused by a virus, which cannot be treated with antibiotics. In fact, more than 200 different viruses cause the common cold. Because colds and the flu often have similar symptoms, it is important to know the difference in order to effectively care for the virus.

Symptoms	Cold	Flu
Fever	Rare	Characteristics, high(102-104F); Lasts 3-4 days
Headache	Rare	Prominent
General aches, pains	Slight	Usual; often severe
Fatigue, weakness	Quite mild	Can last up to 203 Weeks
Extreme exhaustion	never	Early and prominent
Stuffy nose	Common	Sometimes
Sneezing	Usual	Sometimes
Sore Throat	Common	Sometimes
Chest discomfort, cough	Mild to moderate; hacking cough	Common, can become severe

Prevention is the key. Viruses can be transmitted by hand to mouth or hand to eye contact. Shaking hands (or holding hands) with an infected person can put the virus in contact with the eye or mouth of a non-infected person. Researchers have found that cold viruses can survive for several hours on hands, in cloth handkerchiefs and paper tissues and on hard, nonporous surfaces such as kitchen counters, dishes, doorknobs, computer keyboards and telephones. Educate your student on the following to help prevent colds and the flu.

Hand Washing - Wash hands often. Try to keep hands away from your nose and eyes. By doing so, you may be able to prevent a cold if the virus is on your fingers.

Sharing Food and Drinks – Never share food or drinks. Sharing food or drinks gives the virus an easy way into the body to start the disease process.

Sleep – Sufficient sleep (6-8 hours) allows the body to rebuild cells. Sleep helps to keep the immune system working at its best.

Eating – Proper nutrition is the cornerstone of health. Health Services has a nutritionist available to students free of charge. Your student can learn if they are getting the right balance in their meals.

Flu Shot – A yearly Flu Shot is recommended by the American College Health Association. The Flu Shot is a killed virus, so you cannot get sick from the vaccine. Health Services offers Flu Shots to students. The charge for the Flu Shot is $17. They can pay with cash, check, or have the charge placed on their student account.

Multi-Vitamins – A once-a-day multi-vitamin helps replenish many of the nutrients the body may not be getting. Even with proper eating habits a multi-vitamin is a must. No need to spend a lot of money. Health Services offers multi-vitamins to students at a reduced cost.

While preventing every cold or flu is not possible, you can help your student reduce his or her risk factors. By using some of the suggestions above we hope to keep your student healthy and well. If they do get sick, remind them of Health Services. In Health Services we offer nurse assessments, over-the-counter medications, and doctor referrals to help keep the missed class days at a minimum. Health Services main goal is to keep the students active in their life as a student.

For more information about available resources offered at Health Services, visit http://www.webster.edu/studlife/health/ or call 314-968-6922 or 1-800-839-0996. Health Services is located on the first floor of Loretto Hall, Room 112.