Getting the flu anytime during a quarter is bad, but getting it close to finals week can be even worse.Weldon Matthews, vice chairman of undergraduate chemistry, said the additional pressure ill students feel at exam time can lead to a low grade on the final.”Sick students feel enormous pressure to push themselves to get the final over with,” Matthews said. “It’s unfortunate and unnecessary if they do not do well because of this.”If students feel too sick to take a final, they should immediately notify their professors about their illness, Matthews said.”Many students are reluctant to talk to their professors in crisis situations. Normal policy is for us to work with the students to schedule a make-up exam,” he said. “We, as members of the faculty, want to help people all we can and don’t want anybody to fail.”Flu season starts in late December and hangs around until the middle of March.”The (flu) virus is spread in crowded situations through respiratory droplets or saliva,” said Patricia Balassone, a nurse at Wilce Student Health Services. “When the air is dry, mucus membranes crack and bacteria can get a foothold,” she said.Doctors and nurses at Health Services have seen about 100 flu-related cases a month since the beginning of winter quarter, said Dr. Roger Miller, who works at the clinic.Signs of the flu include fever, fatigue, chills, head and body aches, dry cough, vomiting and diarrhea, Balassone said. In normal cases, these symptoms will last from five days to a week.Balassone said crowded dorms, apartments and classrooms combined with the relatively dry air of winter can rapidly communicate the flu virus.She added the anxiety students feel when studying for finals can make them more susceptible to viral infections. “Too much stress during flu season can suppress the immune system and leave a student open to sickness,” Balassone said.If you do get sick, your first priority should be to take care of yourself, Balassone said.”You should get plenty of bed rest, drink lots of fluids and eat well,” she said. “It is also good to have somebody who knows you’re sick to help you out in any way they can.”A fact sheet from student health services recommends drinking plenty of water and juice, and staying away from caffeinated beverages and alcohol.”Alcohol can further weaken the immune system and cause dehydration,” said David Lehnus, a nurse at student health services.”It will prolong the flu symptoms and take you twice as long to recover,” he said.