The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/flu/)
2,216 cases of the flu have been reported in Central New York since Oct. 5, 2019, with 65 of those having been treated at Cornell, according to Anne Jones, Cornell Health’s director of medical services.
In a session of the Student Assembly lasting no more than 20 minutes, two resolutions regarding the revision of project funding rules were bookended by discussions about flu prevention and the status of the coronavirus outbreak.
Cornell announced that it will proactively work with local and state resources to ensure student safety.
In the calm and quiet lecture halls and auditoriums, coughing fits exploded in 10-minute intervals. The sneezing and sniffles drowned out the professor’s voice. The unscrewing of water bottle caps echoed in my ears. Crumpled tissues overflowed the dorm trash bins. And before I knew it, I, too, was becoming a musician in this symphony.
Across the country, the last few weeks have brought with them the rise of influenza in homes, schools, communities, health centers and hospitals. As the spring semester begins, I’ve engaged with students, faculty and staff about preparing and responding to the flu season at Cornell. Many have asked: How bad is this year’s flu season likely to be? How does Cornell Health prepare? Are we as a community safe?
Following the high campus demand for flu shots in the spring that caused a 36-hour shortage of vaccinations, Cornell Health anticipates an even higher demand this fall, according to Anne Jones ’04, director of medical services at Cornell Health.
Soups, fruit, oatmeal, yogurt and salmon are among the best foods to eat when you’re sick.
Physicians have already diagnosed three times as many students with influenza-related illness as the same time in 2017 and five times as many as in 2016.
In the midst of the most intense flu season since 2009, it remains vitally important that all members of the Cornell community remember to get vaccinated. The failure of both Cornell Health and the Tompkins County Health Department to prepare adequately for this season’s demand is disappointing, but Cornellians and Ithacans alike should not let this inconvenience prevent them seeking out the vaccine where it is still in supply. Universities like Cornell are prime breeding grounds for communicable diseases like flu. The close quarters of dormitories, lectures, dining halls and dance floors bring us into contact with hundreds of people every day, each of them potential flu-carriers. Vaccination is the healthy and the smart choice.
Dr. Anne Jones ’04, director of medical services at Cornell Health, said the number of students affected by the flu at the University is “modest.”