The number of people who have contracted the flu has increased at GW and nationwide.

Isabel Goldenberg, the medical director at Student Health Service, said more than 100 students have come into her office with the flu. More than 40 people in February alone had flu-like symptoms, last year when compared with there were only three or four cases.

“February is always the month with a high incidence of influenza, but you can see that we have many more (cases) now than last year,” Goldenberg said.

The flu shot, which GW encouraged students to get in a publicized campaign this past fall, has proven ineffective in preventing many strains of this season’s flu. According to the Center for Disease Control, this year’s flu shot was found to be a good match for only about 40 percent of flu viruses, whereas in past years it has been effective for up to 90 percent of flu strains.

For those lucky enough to avoid the flu, Goldenberg warns that even more students have been confirmed to have “viral upper respiratory symptoms,” also known as the common cold.

The Washington Post previously reported that several other area schools – including the University of Maryland at College Park, George Mason University. and the University of Virginia – have been hit hard by the virus.

This past week, the National Flu Surveillance Network, an organization that tracks flu cases across the country, elevated the District to “epidemic” status based on the reported numbers of the virus, the same level the vast majority of the country has now reached, according to the organization’s Web site.

Sophomore Caroline O’Grady is one of many GW students who suffered from the flu this season. After going to bed the night of the Super Bowl with chills and a fever, O’Grady woke up knowing that she was sick.

“I woke up the next morning and knew that something was wrong. I went to Student Health right away and told them my symptoms,” she said. Before the physician could administer a test, O’Grady passed out in the doctor’s office. Dizziness, a common aspect of the virus, confirmed that O’Grady was infected.

College campuses provide close quarters for students to catch the virus from one another. O’Grady, who took one week to recover from the sickness, recalls that even after taking medication, two of her close friends caught the flu.

Freshman Jonathon Foox went straight to the hospital when his flu symptoms began.

“First my throat was severely sore, then over a period of two days I became very fatigued and started getting shivers,” said Foxx.

Student Health officials said the best way to stay healthy this season is to “cover your mouth and wash your hands.”