Gresham, Oregon | Januar y 18, 2013 | Volume 48, Issue 13
advocate the
The independent student voice of Mt. Hood Community College
www. advocate -online . ne t
Body temperatures rise as the flu season intensifies Jeff Hannig The Advocate
Usually your absence from school or work is met with envy among your peers. That is, until they find out what you have been doing: sneezing, coughing and drinking lots of fluids in hopes of kicking a virus that for a few months each year is the rock-star of all sickness. The flu season in the U.S. officially started the last week of 2012. In the past, according to the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu wave typi-
cally hits America late in January and persists until late February. This winter, the CDC was surprised by reports of citizens dying in Massachusetts and Oklahoma as early as the first week of January. Flu-related illnesses are responsible for the deaths of anywhere from a few thousand to nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC. While this year’s flu has reached an epidemic status, it is nothing compared to some of the flu seasons of the past. The 1918 flu pandemic, also know as the Spanish Flu, which infected 500 million people, killing 1-3 percent of the world’s population, See “Flu” on Page 3
Photos by Shelby Schwartz/TheAdvocate
Temperatures outside drop as snow dusts campus on Monday
Above: A part-time Facilities employee de-ices the steps in the Main Mall as snow fell on campus on Monday. FlashAlert notified recipients on Monday evening that campus would close by 7:30 p.m. due to icy conditions. Campus was open as usual Wednesday morning. Weather should be in the mid 30-40s through the weekend.
Club fair
teacher writes new book
students can find a club next week that matches their interests
Writing instructor zach hudson aims for children’s market with new book, ‘Banjo.’
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men’s basketball is dealt a split with a win over umpqua and a loss to clackamas page 7