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Inexpensive Flu Shots From Health Center Help Students Avoid Winter Absences

by T.O. Lawrence
11/05/2007

Flu season is coming, and the University of Georgia is getting prepared for its arrival with a syringe chock full of dead and weakened viruses. Starting October 22, the University Health Center will be offering flu shots to students and faculty in an effort to curb flu-related absences over the coming months.

Characterized by a high fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea and chills, flu is the third most common complaint for the health center between the months of November and January according to their PR coordinator, Liz Rachun.

“It comes in just behind upper respiratory ailments and minor stomach illnesses,” said Rachun.

The flu vaccine is primarily recommended for those at high risk such as the elderly, pregnant, or extremely young, and reduces the chances of contracting the disease by 70-90 percent in healthy adults according to the CDC. This, however, is hardly a guarantee for non-infection.

County Nurse Manager Marcia Massengill explained that the inoculation itself is a dead or weakened form of the virus chosen from three different strains of the disease predicted most likely to appear the coming season. As a response to the injection, the immune system combats the weakened viral cells, developing antibodies which will protect the host from further infection. The antibodies appear about two weeks after the injection and remain for a time but can disappear after a year or more depending on the person.

Success, therefore, not only depends on the resilience of the human body but also the ability of health services to predict the upcoming strains of the disease. These strains can change on a yearly basis, evading previous inoculations or mutating from past forms of influenza necessitating an annual update of the shot in order to keep pace.

Though earlier is better, receiving the flu vaccine later in the season is not unbeneficial. With multiple strains of flu in the air, recovering from one type does not disqualify a person from getting infected by others.

“People forget that they can get the inoculation after exposure,” said Linda Etman, a statistician for the county health department, “The flu season doesn’t reach its peak until late February when a lot of people have quit worrying about it or have already gotten the flu. There are still more strains out there that the inoculation is meant to protect against.”

While there are over thirty-thousand students at the university, the health center has only received 1,500 doses of vaccine for the entire campus. This is fewer doses than last year even though enrollment has increased due to the lack of interest in the vaccine the previous season. The county, however, has no lack of supply as the health department alone has received 17,000 doses, according to Etman, not including those purchased by private practices.

“Only one-thousand students and five-hundred faculty members received the shot last year,” said Rachum, “It’s just not a life threatening disease to most young people, so they feel like a flu shot isn’t necessary.”

The health center encourages students to take action as the flu accounts for many long-term absences throughout the year.

Rachum added, “Students should want to be prepared, because nobody wants to get the flu, especially if it can be prevented.”

The inoculation is only $12 for fees-paid students and will be available Tuesday through Thursday at the Allergy/Travel Medicine Clinic at the health center. Appointments can be made online or by calling in.

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