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Dr. Jane Wang administers shots to first-year undeclared student Varon Uttam in the Marian Anders

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A box of tissues, cough syrups, pain relievers, hot tea and a liquid diet – it’s an all too familiar, miserable scene that has struck hundreds of students during the last weeks of the quarter and right into finals.

Nationwide, flu activity has occurred earlier and stronger than usual this season, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additionally, the vaccine given to millions of people this year does not protect against a strain that has sprung up in parts of the nation including Texas and Nevada, the two states that have reported widespread cases of influenza.

The CDC obtains random samples of mucous from people who exhibit flu-like symptoms, such as a high fever up to 104 degrees, a sudden cough and extreme fatigue which may last weeks. The common cold, in contrast, does not usually include a fever.

The samples are then grown in a laboratory and tested for the flu virus.

Last week, the CDC reported that 10 percent of submitted specimens grew the flu virus.

“Normally, 2 to 3 percent of the virus (samples) taken grow influenza around this time of the year,” said Dr. David Dassey, deputy chief of the Acute Communicable Disease Control program with the County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services.

The flu shot is still the most effective way to prevent the flu, said Evelyn Desser, a nurse practitioner at the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center.

The Center has been holding flu shot fairs for students, faculty and staff since late October. The shots are free, and the last fair will be held today from 12 to 3 p.m. at Bruin Plaza, near the statue.

Commonly known as the flu, influenza infects up to 20 percent of the U.S. population each year, with about 36,000 people dying from resulting complications.

Cases of the flu are reported weekly by each state. Most recently, California reported regional activity of the flu, which means that outbreaks have occurred in areas that contain less than 50 percent of the state’s population.

According to Dassey, there has been very little activity in Los Angeles County.

“However, there has been tremendous activity in Sacramento and Fresno County,” Dassey said.

Keeping records of influenza cases is important because it is one of the few viral respiratory diseases that kills people, Dassey added.

Indicators that counties focus on are outpatient visits for respiratory complaints, admissions into hospitals for respiratory problems, virus cultures and prescriptions for medication that specifically work against influenza.

The CDC recommends that individuals who belong in high-risk groups receive the flu shot every year.

High-risk groups include people who are 65-years-old or older, young children, people with chronic health conditions, and women who are more than three months pregnant during the flu season.

“In general, students do not fall into a high risk group for severe influenza or its complications,” said David Pegues, infectious disease physician at UCLA Medical Center and the hospital’s epidemiologist.

Most students choose to get the flu vaccine because they want to reduce their chances of catching the flu and do not want to be inconvenienced by it, Desser said.

Some however, decide not to get the vaccine.

“I haven’t been sick the past two to three years, so I don’t think I’ll get the vaccine this year,” said Eddie Legaspi, a fifth-year biochemistry and English student.

Those infected with the virus are encouraged to get plenty of sleep and stay at home during the first four days of their illness.

“If you are sick, you can do a great service to your fellow students by staying home when you’re ill,” Pegues said.