Freshers' Flu, Mould and Meningitis: What to Know

A nutritional therapist's practical health guide for students and parents starting university

The first few weeks at university are exciting, new people, new independence, a new city to get to know. Getting a few basics right early, food that works even when the fridge is chaos, a sensible pace through freshers' week, protecting immunity, and a warm, healthy room, makes that settling-in period considerably smoother for both students and the parents watching from home.

Freshers' Flu: What to Expect and How to Cope

Meeting so many new people in such a short space of time comes with a well-known side effect. Colds and minor bugs circulate fast in the first few weeks, simply because of how many new households of germs are suddenly mixing in halls and lecture theatres. Symptoms, a sore throat, a blocked nose, feeling a bit run down, usually ease within three to four days, sometimes lingering up to two weeks. It's uncomfortable rather than serious, and it passes.

A few small habits make that first stretch noticeably easier, without meaning missing out on any of it:

• Alternate a big night with a quieter one rather than stacking several in a row

• Eat something proper before drinking, a skipped meal plus alcohol is a specific combination that leaves the immune system working harder than it needs to

• Keep water close through a night out, and have a proper glass before bed

• Aim for a roughly consistent sleep and wake time where possible, even an imperfect routine helps more than the occasional catch-up sleep after several short nights

Worth a GP visit rather than waiting out: symptoms still present after two weeks, a high fever, breathlessness, or a cough that's getting worse rather than better.

Feeling Anxious About Meeting So Many New People?

New faces, new environments, near-constant social demands, it's ordinary for this to feel like a lot in the first few weeks, even for naturally outgoing people. A few simple strategies help take the edge off in the moment:

• Box breathing: in for four counts, hold for four, out for four, hold for four, repeated for a minute or two before a social moment that feels daunting, a flat dinner, a first seminar, a society taster session

• Getting outside daily, even a short walk, supports mood regulation and gives an easy reset between social commitments

• Regular movement, a walk, a gym session, a sports club taster, supports both mood and sleep quality, both of which take a hit during an intense stretch of change

• Giving it time. Feeling overwhelmed in week one doesn't mean anything has gone wrong, it tends to ease as routines and friendships form

If anxiety feels like more than the ordinary adjustment, a university wellbeing service or GP is worth reaching out to.

Protecting Your Immune System This Term

• Wash hands properly and often, particularly before eating and after shared bathrooms, one of the single most effective ways to reduce how many bugs make it into the body

• Eat regular meals with protein, rather than skipping meals or relying on snacks, to keep blood sugar and energy steady

• Prioritise sleep, one of the most consistently evidence-backed factors in immune function, more so than most supplements

• Stay hydrated, particularly around alcohol, since dehydration compounds fatigue and slows recovery from any bug

Meningitis Vaccine: What Freshers Need To Check Before You Go

Checking vaccination status before move-in day is one of the most useful things to tick off early. UKHSA data has found that one in eight new students arrive at university without up-to-date meningitis protection. MenACWY is routinely given at school around age 13 to 14 and remains free on the NHS up to age 25 for anyone who missed it. Following a MenB outbreak in Kent in 2026, a new one-off NHS programme also offers the MenB vaccine free to under-25s starting university for the first time, two doses, four weeks apart, so this is worth sorting a good six weeks ahead of term.

A rash that doesn't fade under a glass, neck stiffness, sensitivity to light, or a fever that keeps climbing are reasons to seek urgent medical help, a GP, NHS 111, or 999, rather than waiting it out.

Cheap Student Meals for a Chaotic Fridge

UHT or plant-based milk in cartons stores at room temperature until opened, solving the classic problem of fresh milk going off before it gets used. A shelf of tinned chickpeas, beans, tuna, chopped tomatoes and sweetcorn, alongside porridge oats and wholegrain rice, covers most of what's needed for quick, proper meals:

• 15-minute chickpea curry: fry onion and garlic, add a tin of chickpeas, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tablespoon of curry powder, simmer ten minutes, serve with rice

• Tuna and sweetcorn pasta: wholegrain pasta mixed with tinned tuna, tinned sweetcorn and a light sauce made from UHT milk and a spoonful of flour

• Protein porridge: oats cooked in UHT milk, a spoonful of peanut butter stirred through, topped with dried or tinned fruit

For snacking without relying on a shared kitchen: rice cakes or oatcakes with nut butter, mixed nuts and dried fruit in small portions, tinned fruit in juice rather than syrup, and a couple of squares of dark chocolate.

Laundry Basics for Freshers (and anyone else)

• Check the care label; a 30°C normal cycle is safe for most everyday clothing when in doubt

• Keep new dark items separate for the first few washes, new denim and bright colours shed dye initially

• Don't overload the machine, clothes need room to move to actually get clean

• Wash bedding and towels roughly once a week, dust and skin cells build up quickly in shared, dusty student housing

• Air-dry where possible rather than relying on radiators
  

Mould in Student Accommodation: What to Do

Mould is common in shared student housing, mainly caused by condensation from cooking, showering and drying clothes indoors. It isn't just unsightly. Breathing in mould spores over time is linked to worsened asthma, allergic reactions, and respiratory symptoms like coughing and wheezing, and the NHS advises that damp, mouldy homes carry a real health risk, particularly for anyone with an existing respiratory condition.

Opening a window for ten minutes each morning, using extractor fans, and wiping down condensation all help prevent it. If it appears anyway, report it in writing with photos and a date, under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, this is generally the landlord's responsibility to fix.

Staying Warm on a Student Budget

Heat the rooms actually in use to around 18°C, the level recommended by UK health guidance. Around 15% of home heat loss happens through draughts, so a cheap draught excluder makes a real difference. Layer thin clothing rather than one thick layer, and use a hot water bottle or electric blanket rather than heating a whole house. Avoid portable gas heaters, they're a fire risk and add moisture that can worsen mould.

Is UK Tap Water Safe? What About Filters?

• UK tap water is tightly regulated and safe to drink; bottled water isn't a safer alternative, it often contains more microplastics, largely from the packaging

• Trace contaminants like microplastics and PFAS have been detected in UK tap water, and regulators are tightening monitoring, though current health risk is assessed as low

• A basic activated carbon jug filter is a low-cost option for anyone wanting extra peace of mind or better-tasting water

Supplements: What's Worth Taking

Vitamin D is the one worth prioritising. It supports normal immune function, and the body makes it from sunlight, which UK daylight simply isn't strong enough to provide between September and March. The NHS recommends everyone consider a daily 10 microgram supplement across those months, which lines up neatly with the start of term.

A few others are worth knowing about too, each doing a slightly different job:

• Vitamin C supports the immune system and helps maintain healthy joints and connective tissue, useful for anyone playing sport regularly. It's also an antioxidant, meaning it helps protect cells from the extra strain alcohol places on the body, which makes it worth taking before bed after a night out. The reference intake is 40mg a day from food, and a 500mg to 1000mg supplement is a reasonable amount to take on nights when extra support is useful, rather than every single day.

• Zinc supports immune function, wound healing and skin repair, useful if run down, recovering from a cut or minor injury, or dealing with breakouts, which tend to flare up during a period of disrupted sleep, new food habits and stress.

• Probiotics support the gut microbiome, useful when irregular meals, alcohol and general stress disrupt normal digestion, all common during the adjustment to a completely new routine.

• A general multivitamin is worth considering as a safety net specifically when self-catering is new and meals end up less varied or balanced than they would be at home. It doesn't replace real food, but it helps cover nutritional gaps while cooking skills and routines are still being built.

Sources: NHS (vitamin D and vitamin C reference intakes), European Food Safety Authority (vitamin C safe upper intake)

Supplements should be tailored to diet, activity level, alcohol intake and stress levels rather than taken as a blanket combination. For personalised advice on supplements or a food plan for the first term, get in touch directly, via the link judith@jdrnutrition.com

Settling In Well

The first few weeks bring a lot at once, new people, new food habits, a new routine, and a body adjusting to all of it simultaneously. None of it needs to be perfect. A stocked cupboard, the right vaccines checked off, a sensible pace through freshers' week, and a bit of support for the immune system cover most of what actually matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is freshers' flu the same as a cold?

Essentially, yes. It's not a distinct illness, just the cluster of common colds and minor bugs that spread quickly when so many new people mix together in halls.

Do I need both the MenACWY and MenB vaccines?

Most students already had MenACWY at school. MenB is different and only free for new university starters under the 2026 catch-up programme, so it's worth checking both separately.

Is bottled water safer than tap water?

No, testing has generally found bottled water contains more microplastics than tap water, largely from the packaging itself. A reusable, BPA-free bottle refilled from the tap or a campus refill station is the better option, both for health and for the food shop budget.

Do I really need a multivitamin if I'm eating reasonably well?

Not necessarily, but it's a reasonable safety net during the early weeks of self-catering, when meals are often less varied than usual while routines are still being built.

When should I actually see a GP rather than waiting things out?

Symptoms lasting more than two weeks, a high fever, breathlessness, or anything resembling meningitis symptoms, a non-fading rash, neck stiffness, severe headache, are all reasons to get checked rather than wait.

Starting university, or supporting someone who is, comes with a lot to think about. If a personalised meal plan or supplement guidance would make the first term easier, book a free thirty minute no obligation health chat.

Book a Health Chat