Achoo!

Gesundheit.

Flu season is at its peak, and students are suffering from coughs, headaches and other cold symptoms, said Jeremy Funkhouser, pharmacist at Eckerd drug store, 1536 N. Atherton St.

Eckerd pharmacists have been filling an increased number of prescriptions for antibiotics as well as selling a large amount of over-the-counter remedies.

It's not just the flu though, Funkhouser said. People are suffering from infections of all levels of seriousness, though the fluctuation in the number of sick students is not unusual for this time of year, he said. Eckerd management expected the seasonal demand for flu and cold medications.

Craig Fritz (senior-public relations) is among students suffering this season. "It started with a sore throat and it moved to a real deep cough with bad sinus pressure," he said.

Fritz said he used generic medicines that included echinacea and vitamin C.

"I learned from experience [what to take]," he said. Fritz added he was a little surprised by his symptoms, because he usually gets sick as seasons change, not in the middle of winter.

Although flu season is a nuisance, getting sick does not seem to be affecting students' academics.

Brad Thompson, communications professor, said he has not noticed lowered attendance this winter. Based on past years, he did not expect students to stay home due to illness.

Professors often accommodate excused absences in their attendance policies. "This is an especially harsh winter," said Emily Grosholz, professor of philosophy. "If a student's sick all [he or she] has to do is send me an e-mail."

Overall, Grosholz said she had not noticed a significant decline in attendance with the worsening weather.

Students can diagnose their own cold or flu symptoms at the University Health Services Web site, Do You Have Cold? (www.sa.psu.edu/uhs/assesscold.htm), said Ellen Nagy, UHS marketing manager. Nagy suggested students take the quiz before deciding to call a doctor. "Or just hang in there and drink hot tea," she said.

Many students have noticed that the verification of illness policy at UHS has changed recently. "[Illness verifications] were too easy to get and becoming worthless," Nagy said. "If a student has a significant illness or injury and they need to provide verification to faculty it has to be a documented, serious prolonged illness."

Students should e-mail professors in advance if they are too sick to attend class, instead of relying on doctors' notes, Nagy said.

"Treat it as though you have a job -- call in," she said.

UHS offered flu shots at a clinic in the fall, which yielded a good turnout, Nagy said.

Although it offered flu shots into January, UHS stopped holding clinics this month. Nagy said the shot takes a few weeks to kick in and offer protection from the flu.

Nurses at UHS said they are seeing the average number of colds, a few unconfirmed cases of influenza and a high number of stomach bugs and gastrointestinal problems, Nagy said.