A drastic drop in temperature from 90 degrees two weeks ago tohighs in the mid-50s this week have caused in the number of sickstudents on campus to increase, said officials at the StudentHealth Center.

The increases, according to officials, have less to do with coldtemperatures and more to do with the fact that people tend to spendmore time cooped up indoors.

Viruses get trapped in the air. They are then breathed in andspread easily from person to person, according to medical Web siteinternethealthlibrary.com.

Cyndra Krogan of the Student Health Center said that colds andinfluenza are the most common complaints around campus, along withallergies.

Colds and the flu can be easily spread around campus. One sneezepropels up to 100,000 bacteria into the air at about 200 miles perhour. There are nearly 200 viruses known to cause colds.

Junior Amanda Garcia, a government-journalism major, got verysick with the flu at the start of the semester and missed a week ofschool. She was forced to drop one of her classes because she fellbehind.

“I got sick because of the stress of being back in schooland the fact that I was spending time indoors with others spreadingtheir germs in class,” Garcia said.

The Student Health Center offers free flu vaccinations for thosewho have the Augmented Services Plan. Students without the plan canreceive their vaccinations for $7.

The Center does not recommend that every student receives theflu shots.

Flu vaccines are generally only for people over the age of 50,people who have chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease orcancer or for pregnant women in their third or fourthtrimester.

Sutter Health recommends that any healthy person can get thevaccine, if they want to protect themselves against the flu.

Sutter Health also offers free flu vaccines to volunteers whohelp at flu clinics around Sacramento.

The Health Center recommends that students should minimize theirchances of catching flu by washing your hands often, have a healthydiet, rest, exercise and avoiding large crowds.

Darlene Spencer, a registered nurse at the Student HealthConnection, said the pharmacy at the Health Center offers over thecounter cold and flu remedies at a much lower price than foundoff-campus.Tips to Prevent the FLU : The fluseason is here, follow these tips and you’ll most likely sleerclear of sickness.Get a flu vaccinationWash your hands frequentlyKeep up your resistance to infection with a healthy diet,plenty of rest, and regular exercise.Avoid large crowds during flu season, if possible.