DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Judy Stivers, immunizations nurse at the Student Health Center, prepares a flu shot yesterday. Stivers gave 20-30 flu shots per day during the flu season.

Students using shared computer keyboards and phone receivers could find themselves vulnerable to the flu.

Over the next few weeks, nurses at Campus Health Services expect to see more students coming in with the flu after returning from winter break travels.

Many people catch the flu from breathing in "droplets" in the air from the coughing or sneezing of people who have the flu.

Traveling in closed quarters with a large group of people on an airplane is often a way the flu spreads, said Lisette LeCorgne, a nurse practitioner at Campus Health, meaning many students could have brought it back to campus with them.

"Life here is like living in a petri dish," LeCorgne said.

Crowds, lines, dorms, lobbies and public bathrooms are all higher risk areas for the spread of flu, LeCorgne said.

Physical or psychological stress often caused by lack of sleep, unhealthy diets and dehydration can make students' bodies more vulnerable to the flu said Tara Harper, a Campus Health nurse.

Students with the flu should stay home and skip classes, LeCorgne said.

If sharing a bedroom with someone with the flu, temporarily switching rooms could stop the spread, Harper said.

Andrew Madewell, an engineering and mines freshman, feels he is at less risk of the flu since he lives off-campus.

Living in the dorm is more of a concentrated area, Madewell said.

"Once somebody down the hall has (the flu), everyone gets it," Madewell said.

Those who are not sure whether or not they have the flu should not hesitate to call the doctor, she said.

"I'd rather hear from 20 people who didn't have the flu than not hear from one person who did," LeCorgne said.

A good way to tell if someone has the flu is if the symptoms come suddenly, LeCorgne said.

A student might feel fine one minute and then 10 minutes into a class, suddenly feel severely ill, she said.

Symptoms of the flu include a fever of 103 degrees, drenching sweat, chills, aching, coughing, loss of appetite and in some cases, vomiting.

Ignoring the flu could lead to severe dehydration, LeCorgne said, which could mean waiting in an emergency room for several hours.

Although the best time for a "flu shot" is in October, it is not too late to get one since the flu season will not end until March, LeCorgne said.

Students can get flu shots at Campus Health for $10 and do not need health insurance.