Since the beginning of flu season in October of 2025, the U.S. has been experiencing an elevated report of influenza cases. Reports from the CDC have indicated that over 15,000,000 people have gotten some form of the flu. BVN has been especially impacted by this outbreak, with many students getting sick during the week of finals in December. 

One large factor that contributed to this spread of sickness was the birth of a new variant of the flu called H3N2, which had evolved to be more resistant towards vaccines and medicines compared to other variants of the flu. The fast spread of this new variant caught medical professionals by surprise, and didn’t allow for much time to develop a new vaccine to combat it.

I personally was one of the many people who got sick during the height of the sickness at BVN, and it was NOT fun. I have numerous friends who also got sick during the week of finals. Many of them, and I assume countless more that I don’t know, couldn’t take their finals due to how sick they were. This caused them to have to make up their finals once they came back from Winter Break. This means that they’d have to work on a past semester’s test without any access to class resources for two weeks, all the while having to learn new material at the same time. I remember being extremely terrified during my finals; I couldn’t imagine having to do them with all of those hindrances stacked against me. 

But what makes sicknesses like these spread so fast and so far? Well, for one, people have generally stopped getting vaccines to prevent getting the flu in the first place. A study done by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Education showed that in Colorado alone, only 27% of people got vaccinated. While that number is low enough already, it’s also a 5% decrease from the previous year. This makes people more susceptible to catching diseases, as well as puts others at risk because of it.

Another reason that I’ve personally noticed is that some people don’t stay home when they’re sick. So many times during the week of finals I saw people who looked terrible, clearly in no condition to come to school. Despite their ill conditions, they still chose to come to school, whether out of fear of missing work, or parents forcing them to go in. Admittedly, I am one of these people. I don’t want to risk missing an important assignment or project that will put me behind. Even when it’s not good to come into school, so many people still do.

With so many cases popping up everywhere, it’s important to remember to keep yourself healthy and practice good hygiene. Wash your hands, make sure to rest, and PLEASE stay home if you’re sick.