Student life can mean fun socialising and hard study but amid the freshers' balls is a more unwelcome feature of the university campus.

VICTORIA FOX discovers about the common Freshers' Flu which affects hundreds each year.

THE start of a new term at university is an exciting time for students.

Getting used to the busy social life and study load keeps them more than occupied so there is often little time to worry about Freshers' Flu.

But each year this common disease hits hundreds of students across the county.

It is often spread in the early part of the first term and is the result of new students from all parts of the UK being grouped together.

Flu (influenza) is a respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus and transmitted by drop-lets of respiratory secretions from person to person. There is a period of two to three days before it becomes apparent.

"To an extent there's not an awful lot that can be done about it," says Pat Middleton, a spokesman for Buckingham-shire Chilterns University College in High Wycombe.

The combination of germs and viruses brings about the flu-like illness with symptoms such as coughing, a runny nose, fever, headache, sore throat and aching muscles and joints.

For most people the infection causes several days of acute illness followed by a complete recovery.

If they catch Freshers' Flu, students are advised to get plenty of rest, eat healthily and not burn the candle at both ends.

"Do not carry on as normal as it will only prolong your suffering and heighten the chance of you passing it on to your flatmates," says Laura Derry.

Laura works for Crystal C, a vitamin C supplement produced to fight the immune system and help relieve the symptoms of the bug. As well as taking it easy and stocking up on vitamin C, students are reminded to register with a doctor in High Wycombe, for as the Freshers' Flu proves, falling ill is not just something that happens at home.

"The most important thing is that students register with a doctor once they start at the college," says Pat.

"We try to encourage students to register with a local doctor as soon as possible."

Top tips to fight Freshers' Flu: - Sleep and rest lots.

- Drink plenty of fluids to replace the high amount lost during a fever.

- Ask your local pharmacist at the chemist for advice about which over-the-counter products to use to help ease discomfort of coughing.

- Paracetamol can bring down temperatures and ease aches and pains.

- Start to take vitamin C at the first sign of symptoms to ensure that you make a fast recovery and to minimise symptoms.

- Avoid smoking and alcohol.