{"id":165473,"date":"2026-02-23T10:48:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/165473\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T10:48:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:48:06","slug":"usfs-student-health-and-wellness-center-sees-more-visits-this-flu-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/165473\/","title":{"rendered":"USF’s Student Health and Wellness Center sees more visits this flu season"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>The Student Health and Wellness Center has seen a 5% uptick in visits this year compared to the same time last year. ORACLE PHOTO\/AYRON ESPINO-NARDI<\/p>\n

As the semester ramps up toward midterms and spring break, many students are finding themselves stuck in bed rather than in class.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Peak influenza season runs from December through February in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Influenza positivity rates in Florida have been increasing since the beginning of February, with reports<\/a> showing an outbreak in Hillsborough County, according to the Florida Department of Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Joseph Puccio, the executive and medical director of the Student Health and Wellness Center, said student visits have been approximately 5% higher this spring than the same time last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the start of the spring 2026 semester, the most common diagnoses seen at Student Health have been respiratory in nature,\u201d Puccio said.<\/p>\n

These respiratory illnesses include COVID-19, influenza and sinusitis, Puccio said.<\/p>\n

For many Bulls, the recovery from these illnesses has also been longer than in previous years \u2014 something Puccio attributes to back-to-back illnesses rather than harsher symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany are encountering multiple infections sequentially,\u201d Puccio said. \u201cIt is not uncommon for a student to be diagnosed with COVID-19 and then, two to three weeks later, be diagnosed with influenza A.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: USF reopens on-campus primary care clinic for faculty and staff<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the record-breaking cold temperatures<\/a> that swept through Tampa earlier this month, Puccio clarified that the weather isn\u2019t directly weakening immune systems.<\/p>\n

Instead, cold temperatures force students inside, where infections can spread more easily due to close contact with others in less-ventilated spaces, Puccio said.<\/p>\n

Puccio said students should seek medical care at the first sign of illness, as early treatment can significantly shorten the duration of the virus.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly evaluation can allow timely treatment, and in many cases, prescribed medications may help shorten the course of the illness and support a quicker return to classes,\u201d Puccio said.<\/p>\n

Puccio said students can best protect themselves by:<\/p>\n

Preparing ahead and receiving annual COVID-19 and flu vaccines in the fall
\nGetting adequate sleep
\nDrinking enough water
\nPracticing proper hygiene, such as handwashing and coughing into your elbow instead of your hands
\nAvoiding close contact with others while ill<\/p>\n

Related: USF graduate assistants share financial struggles as union seeks higher pay<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Ellie Sandifer, a freshman biomedical sciences major, the \u201csequential\u201d nature of this flu season became a reality for her on Feb. 10.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An itchy throat quickly spiraled into a 102-degree fever and ended with congestion over six days, Sandifer said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first day was the chills, muscle aches and excessive sweating,\u201d Sandifer said. \u201cThe next two days, I was very tired, and I had a migraine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite her symptoms, Sandifer said she never looked for an official diagnosis because she wanted to prioritize rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[I] never made it to the doctor,\u201d Sandifer said. \u201cI am assuming it is the flu due to the presence of fever, as well as lacking coughing or sore throat at the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sandifer lives in Juniper-Poplar Hall and said that the most difficult part of being sick in her dorm was having to fend for herself.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I had to] force myself to take medicine and not really leave my dorm so I don\u2019t get other people sick,\u201d Sandifer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sandifer said it was also difficult to manage a high fever while balancing student responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst experience was still having to do homework whilst sick in order to still be making my due dates,\u201d Sandifer said.\u00a0 \u201cI do feel behind in anatomy and physiology, since I couldn\u2019t sit down and force myself to take notes while being sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Sandifer said she believes she did a good job of containing the illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one that I know of caught it or got sick from me,\u201d Sandifer said.<\/p>\n

Related: USF students, faculty oppose eliminating vaccine requirements in college<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Avery Walker, a freshman integrated public relations and advertising major, said her symptoms rapidly escalated after she caught a sore throat on Jan. 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t stop coughing, I had a 101.3-degree fever and was extremely fatigued,\u201d Walker said. \u201cI hate feeling fatigued and stuck in bed. I had homework that I needed to complete, but simply couldn\u2019t due to how awful I felt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walker said she chose to rest rather than go to the doctor, so the nature of her illness was never confirmed.<\/p>\n

Walker said she lives in a suite-style dorm in Juniper-Poplar Hall and found it difficult to balance her own recovery with others\u2019 safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a bit harder to recover in a dorm because I tried not to get my roommate sick as well,\u201d Walker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, Walker said she got sick \u201cat the perfect time\u201d because while she was sick for six days, her symptoms peaked between Thursday and Sunday \u2014\u00a0allowing her to avoid missing classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy body needed to catch up on rest, which meant I could not be productive like I usually am,\u201d Walker said. \u201c[However,] I managed to finish all of my assignments that were due without much trouble or consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students who feel ill can schedule an appointment with the Student Health and Wellness Center<\/a> by calling 813-974-2331 or visiting the facility at 12530 USF Bull Run Drive.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Student Health and Wellness Center has seen a 5% uptick in visits this year compared to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":165474,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-165473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}