Cough. Runny nose. Muscle aches. Fever. Fatigue. All common symptoms of the winter illnesses-common cold and flu.

“Students can expect two to nine upper-respiratory infections a year because of close living quarters,” explained Nancy Delaney, M.D., the primary physician in the Student Health and Counseling Center located in Marchetti Towers East.

With the numerous germs around campus, many students will get sick during the winter months with the common cold and, for some, influenza.

Delaney said that many students come to the Health Center thinking they have more serious illnesses like bronchitis or sinus infections. For the most part, only a few percent of these cases are actually acute. She added that most will expect an antibiotic.

“We can give them medicine, but it might not be an antibiotic,” Delaney said.

Unfortunately, students have been “over-advertised” to the use of antibiotics, she said.

According to Delaney, many physicians have perpetuated the myth that antibiotics can help any illness. “Antibiotics only act against bacteria. Cold and flu are viruses,” she explained.

Delaney believes this myth has been spread by doctors who don’t have the time to explain the differences between bacteria and viruses. “For some, it’s easier to throw antibiotics at the problem,” she said.

Repeated antibiotic use can often result in a resistance of bacteria to all antibiotics. This can also extend to an entire community as bacteria strains become resistant and are then passed on to others. Delaney cited two or three bacteria that are currently resistant to all antibiotics. She said this problem has been reported widely among the medical profession and even the general public through Time and Consumer Reports magazines.

Rather than give antibiotics for a cold, Delaney prescribes decongestants and cough suppressants. She said that over-the-counter drugs will make someone feel better, but prescription drugs are much more effective. To benefit students who cannot get to a pharmacy, the health center can usually provide most prescriptions on site.

While a healthy person with common cold or the flu will usually recover over time, Delaney suggests that students who come to the health center for medicine will at least feel better.

“You will recover, but the flu can be devastating,” she said. “People generally feel horrible. I would encourage them to come in if they don’t feel well.”

To prevent getting sick, Delaney stressed the need to wash hands frequently.

She stated emphatically, “Wash your hands . Wash your hands . Wash your hands.”