Tracking the College Flu!

Ah, college dorms - a place for learning, fun, and an intimate affair with viral infections! Recently, ScienceNews published an article about an ongoing study that is looking at the spread of respiratory viruses across a college campus. At the University of Maryland the study, aptly named “C.A.T.C.H. the virus” (Characterizing and Tracking College Health), is testing blood samples, nasal swabs, and breath samples from infected freshmen and their close contacts. But what exactly are they looking for?

The researchers are specifically asking for any participants that have symptoms of a respiratory infection and are looking at viruses such as influenza, adenovirus, coronaviruses, and respiratory syncytial virus. According to the researchers, they’ve reported that you could technically be at risk by just breathing next to someone that has the flu! With this year being one of the worst flu seasons in a decade, this study is all the more important. Is sneezing and coughing into a tissue or your elbow not enough precaution anymore? The researchers are hoping to establish a lead on how the virus mutates throughout college dorms by following each contact of an infected student. At the published time, the flu virus hadn’t swept through the University of Maryland dorms yet - but it’s just a matter of time. We’ll have to wait and see if the research time will be able to pinpoint more effective measures of making college dorms a safer place to house the many students. As their tagline says, “It’s snot your average research study.”

-Meley

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/scientists-are-tracking-how-flu-moves-through-college-campus