As temperatures have been fluctuating from the 50s to the 90s, lines at the Amelia T. Wood Health Center have gotten longer.
The Health Center saw an average of 180 students a day last week, most of which suffered from upper-respiratory problems such as the nasal passages, throat and lungs, Kent Bullis, medical director of the Health Center, said.
"We have seen an increase of walk-in patients over the past few days since the weather has been getting colder," he said. "We haven't seen anything dramatic like if it was an epidemic, but percentage wise we have seen a 20 percent increase of patients over the past few days."
The most common illnesses have been the common cold and allergies.
"With most of my patients who have been coming in with upper-respiratory problems, it has been usually symptoms of runny nose, sneezing, stuffy nose, sore throat," he said.
The Health Center has been a safe haven for some Ball State students.
Sophomore telecommunications major Andrew Bennett said he goes there to prevent, as well as treat, his illnesses.
"Last year, I started coming to the Health Center for allergy shots, so I am [there] once a month for those," he said. "This year, I had surgery on my shoulder, so I'm coming to the Health Center for physical therapy. I didn't even know it was offered there."
Bennett said he figured the Health Center would be busy this time of year.
"I think the Health Center will be booming these next few weeks," he said. "I have a cold, and I have seen a lot of people with colds, so I'm sure we'll be seeing lots of people getting medicine here soon."
Bullis said he does not only factor in the colder weather for the recent hike in student illnesses, but also how students take care of themselves during the school year. Most of his patients aren't taking key vitamins to support their immune systems and they aren't getting the full nine hours of sleep that is recommended for young adults.
"What I'm also seeing, especially around campus, is that they do not have any consideration for their peers when they are in physical contact with them, such as coughing and sneezing in their hands and also not washing their hands as frequently as possible in order to not spread the germs around," Bullis said.
Bullis said the best way for students to keep themselves healthy and sick-free during the colder months ahead is to get plenty of rest, drink a lot of fluids and to get key nutrients to help boost the immune system such as Vitamins A and C. Students should also wash their hands or use hand sanitizer stations around campus.
"It's the small things like that can help you prevent yourself from having to stay home and becoming sick for a period of time."
-A.J. Brammer contributed to this story
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