It’s not going to happen to me.

That is exactly what Elon U. sophomore Samantha Simunyu thought about the H1N1 virus until she caught the virus last fall.

The World Health Organization has not declared the H1N1 virus pandemic over and an estimated 18,000 people worldwide has died from the virus.

Simunyu went to the R.N. Ellington Health Center where she found out she tested positive for the swine flu virus. Elon junior Brandon Marshall also caught the virus last fall.

Both said they felt weak, were light-headed and had sore throats, excessive coughing, trouble breathing, fever and chills. Marshall said the best thing he did after being diagnosed was get a lot of sleep. Marshall and Simunyu said it was difficult to eat, but it was necessary to gain strength back. The two students were quarantined in their dorm rooms and had people they could contact when they needed food or if there was an emergency.

Elon Director of Health Services Kitty Parrish said that, along with these two students, there were 850 Elon students with flu or flu-like illnesses during the school year.

“With more than 6,000 people on campus there is no way to absolutely prevent any illness, but we had a plan, and it worked well,” Parrish said.

The plan included educational programs, hand sanitizers available almost everywhere on campus and self-isolation for anyone with fever or respiratory symptoms. Bed rest for feverish students until 24 hours after the fever broke was strongly encouraged. Professors were provided proper documentation of their ill students, and everyone coming to the health center was encouraged to wash their hands and wear masks around others.

The university offered H1N1 vaccinations in hopes of preventing the spread of the illness. According to Parrish, no Elon students had any reactions to the H1N1 vaccine. Parrish said it is uncertain if the virus will surface again this fall. But with about 18,156 people killed worldwide from the H1N1 virus as of June 6, according to the World Health Organization, it is absolutely necessary to do everything in one’s power to prevent another outbreak.

Parrish suggested that getting the flu shot, having good hygiene, “getting plenty of rest and drinking fluids will go a long way toward keeping everyone happy.”

As a girl who thought it could never happen to her, Simunyu advised Elon students to be prepared for things like this to happen to them because no one is invincible.Simunyu said it is most important not to ignore symptoms and not to hesitate to go to the health center.

Marshall urged “for people who have not had the disease and who have not gotten the vaccine yet to please get it.”