7 a.m.
No, it’s too early, 10 more minutes.
7:10 a.m.
Why does swallowing hurt so much?
7:20 a.m.
My mouth is so dry waking up. I can’t breathe from my nose.
7:30 a.m.
Fine, I’ll get up, why is my head so hot?
7:40 a.m.
Turns out I do have a fever, I guess I’ll put on a mask. I really can’t afford to miss another day, I’m already falling behind.
7:50 a.m.
I’m going to school.
The latter half of January saw a substantial uptick in flu cases, with some experts even regarding 2025 as having one of the worst flu seasons to date.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) categorized the year as a high-severity season, the first time the organization has done so since the 2017-2018 season.
“The last statistic published for our area was that they were seeing 37 percent positive flu A and about 250 hospitalizations,” school nurse Julie Doerge said. “We are also expected to see a second flu B wave to come in a few weeks.”
Many other year-round ailments are also making their return in addition to the flu. Doerge says this unfortunate timing of multiple viruses blooming simultaneously likely led to many students on campus getting sick.
“Some kids have allergies on top of possible flu; plus, we know that COVID is back,” Doerge said. “And then we also saw some GI issues, which can be related to a stomach virus.”
Doerge believes that one of the reasons for the unusual intensity of the wave lies in the gradual return to normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Some people think it’s so bad because we were so protected for two years during COVID with our masks and handwashing,” Doerge said. “Now, we’re just seeing our bodies respond in a very harsh way because we haven’t been sick for so long.”
The cold weather has also expectedly played a role in the proliferation of illnesses.
“We are now seeing temperatures below freezing here,” Doerge said. “Up in the Northeast, temperatures are down into the teens and negatives. (The cold temperatures) significantly impact things as well.”
To mediate the spread of viruses throughout the campus, nurses have requested students to follow certain precautions.
Doerge says that she and her team stress the policy of staying out of school for 24 hours, fever-free, before being considered safe to return.
But for students like junior Oliver Geheb, the pressure of academics and athletics piles up very quickly during the time they are out.
“Missing even two days is already a lot,” Geheb said. “Falling behind means having to make up essays, learn the material on your own, and go in early or during office hours for extra help. If I miss two to three math classes, that’s basically half the entire unit gone.”
To try to mitigate the workload he has to face when returning to school, Geheb says he tries to chip away at his homework at home since most of it is digitally based, but even then, he sometimes just can’t make much progress, struggling from both sickness and missing notes.
“I still have headaches and fatigue from being sick for so long. It makes schoolwork harder, and it also affects athletics,” Geheb said. “I’ve been short of breath playing water polo, which has made things really difficult.”
Because of the difficulties with keeping up with class content when stuck at home, many students tend to ignore their symptoms or brush them off as a common cold and persistently come back to school.
“Based on my experience, I think the only people who come to school sick are the ones who haven’t been diagnosed yet,” Geheb said. “That was my case. I didn’t go to the doctor because I was afraid they’d tell me to stay home. I couldn’t miss more class.”
During the height of this winter’s illness season, Geheb says he contracted walking pneumonia. Though he wasn’t contagious by the time he returned to school, he, like many others, still found himself coughing throughout the day.
“With things like that going around, people might not realize they’re sick with something more serious,” Geheb said. “I initially thought my case was just a cold, but it’s not, and others like me could end up spreading it.”
Luckily, the standard strategies to combat disease still hold. Washing your hands as much as you did during the COVID pandemic reduces the odds of contracting a virus, as does avoiding large events like parties.
“Make sure you’re washing your hands,” Doerge said. “Make sure you go get swabbed for something so that you know what you’ve got. Nowadays you can go to Walgreens and get a flu A, flu B and COVID test all in one swab.”
Nevertheless, students can still carry on with their normal routines, provided that they exercise extra caution.
“I’m not telling you to not have fun,” Doerge said. “But still, it only takes two or three people in a big space to spread a virus. Try to take care of yourself, get plenty of rest, keep exercising and keep eating well.”
