Monday, January 30, 1984/The Battalion/Page 3 DOV J JT> -J Influenza Student Health Center receiving more than 200 flu victims daily mn 1 By PAMELA BARNES and USA PEDERSEN Reporters Have a headache? Fever? Sore throat? Aching muscles? Are you coughing, sneezing and generally lee! like you’ve been nit by a Mack Truck? Dr. Claude Goswick, director of the Student Health Center, says with these symptoms you probably have tne flu. Texas A&M’s annual in fluenza epidemic has hit rather early this year and left an estimated 200 to 250 flu victims a day visiting the health center, Goswick says. Most of the cases diagnosed last week were a new variant of the type A Russian strain of influenza, he says. Because of the fast out break it seems that this is the type of epidemic that goes sky high in just a couple of weeks and subsides just as quickly, Goswick says, if this is the case, this week (Jan. 30 to Feb. 3) may be the worst part of the epidemic. “We usually expect the flu season to start after Christmas lasting until spring break,” Goswick says. “This year it's hit fast and hard.” If you do have the symp toms mentioned, accompa nied by possible nausea and heavy congestion, Goswick re commends aspirin or an aspir in substitute for fever and dis comfort, but if aspirin doesn’t help, the health center can give something more potent. In addition, he recom mends plenty of fluids and rest. *Tt“s necessary to drink lots of liquids to prevent dehydra tion, Goswick says. “The best things to do are get lots of rest, (an