This Year's Flu: Pat Walker Health Center Is Prepared

The Pat Walker Health Center has shifted its focus from prevention via vaccination to early intervention efforts to combat the flu.

This year’s flu season is predicted to have a similar severity as last year, according to the Arkansas Department of Health, and the Pat Walker Health Center has seen a comparable number of flu cases this semester.

The Pat Walker Health Center is no longer administering flu vaccines this semester; however, several pharmacies still offer vaccine for those who are interested.

Huda Sharaf, medical director at the Pat Walker Health Center, encouraged students to “visit the health center if they start developing flu symptoms. We have physicians and nurse practitioners available to care for their acute symptoms and offer advice regarding minimizing further spread on campus.”

Early medical intervention can reduce the severity of the flu. Individuals experiencing flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue and body aches can make an appointment at the Pat Walker Health Center by calling 479-575-4451, or through the Patient Web Portal at health.uark.edu.

The flu is contagious, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention affirms that most healthy adults may be able to infect others one day before they experience symptoms and up to five to seven days after becoming ill.

Since individuals can pass on the flu to someone else before knowing they’re sick, as well as while they’re sick, it is important to exercise good respiratory hygiene. The flu virus is spread by droplets during coughing and sneezing, which can be transmitted person to person, or by touching a surface infected with flu droplets and then touching your mouth or nose.