Cate Roser, Staff Illustrator
Coughing season at Yale has officially commenced.
Respiratory illnesses regularly travel through campus every fall — last year, a non-COVID virus dubbed the “Yague” appeared to send an “unprecedented” number of students to Yale Health.
But even the term “Yague” may be a misnomer, Yale Health chief medical officer Jennifer McCarthy wrote to the News. It is more likely that a number of seasonal viruses are impacting the student body, rather than one viral culprit, she wrote.
“Many respiratory viruses peak in fall and winter as the weather gets colder and people spend more time indoors so student illnesses are likely caused by a variety of viruses and may have a variety of symptoms,” McCarthy wrote.
Respiratory viruses include a range of illnesses like the common cold, influenza, pneumonia or the whooping cough. Common symptoms for upper respiratory illness include runny nose, congestion, cough, scratchy throat, fever and fatigue, according to McCarthy.
McCarthy advised students to actively take precautions to stay healthy. This practice also prevents spread to people who may be more likely to develop severe illness. Specifically, she recommended that students look after their personal wellbeing and hygiene.
“Practicing healthy habits like regular adequate sleep (seven hours at least), healthy foods,
exercise [help] bolster the immune system,” McCarthy told the News. “Hand hygiene is very important, too — washing hands frequently, especially before eating and after bathroom use.”
The University currently has no official guidelines on isolation due to respiratory illnesses. Instead, the decision is left to the discretion of students and their residential college deans.
McCarthy did, however, offer advice for students who have contracted the flu and are looking for treatment options.
“COVID-19 testing should be performed if you have upper respiratory symptoms, [but usually,] most viral illnesses will resolve in a few days,” McCarthy told the News. “Symptoms can be improved with analgesics, sore throat lozenges and brief use of decongestants. For more serious concerns, students should call Student Health for guidance.”.
She also reiterated the importance of getting your flu shots and being up to date with the new Omicron-specific COVID-19 bivalent booster. All undergraduate, graduate and professional students are required to get a flu shot this fall.
But a sense of wariness still lingers within the student body, with some students trying to avoid sickness in whatever capacity they can. Cem Kupeli ’25 said he was staying away from “spending too much time with sick people indoors.”
But some students see taking precautions to avoid campus illnesses as futile.
“It’s hard to take precautions because few of my friends do that,” Arjan Kohli ’26 said. “Even if you do, you still have to go back and meet people who don’t, and I believe I got Yague from one of my friends who coughed at me when we met. I don’t think it’s a big deal to contract the Yague. We still have four years ahead to expose ourselves to all kinds of viruses anyways.”
While Kohli said he has been recovering quickly, he still finds himself fatigued. Kohli pointed out how every illness that isn’t COVID-19, including his own, is being lumped under the term “Yague.”
Other students don’t feel it necessary to be precautious. Mina Aral ’26 has seen her suitemates suffer from flu-like symptoms, yet they did not test positive for Covid, believing it was the Yague. She caught COVID-19 upon arriving at Yale and now believes the prior infection is helping guard against other respiratory illnesses.
“Ever since I recovered from COVID-19, I believe I’ve gained immediate immunity to the flu as well, so I don’t have much worry even though my suitemates are having [the Yague] right now,” Aral said.
Aral said that she had “no idea” what precautions she should take against non-COVID sickness or what Yale resources she could seek out.
Andrew Champlin GRD ’27 – a student in the chemistry department – feels as though illnesses like the Yague are more common among first-year students.
“[I believe] freshmen stand a much higher chance of contracting the virus compared to upperclassmen since they’re [more inclined] to go to many social events besides indoor classrooms,” Champlin said.
Flu shots are offered on appointment basis on the Lower Level of Yale Health at 55 Lock St.