Flu shots on campus

October 16, 2009

While other students were passing by to visit the bookstore or chatting with friends on their way to class, Mike Turi sat down and began to fill out all the necessary medical paper work attached to the clipboard -- the first step after expressing interest in getting vaccinated for the seasonal flu virus.

Representatives and graduate student volunteers of the Student Health and Wellness center advertised and administered seasonal flu vaccinations in the lobby area of the CUB as part of a flu vaccine outreach.

Erika Miller, a second year pharmacy student helping with the immunizations, talked to students walking through the CUB about the vaccine.

Miller said some of the students taking advantage of the Student Health and Wellness tables were attracted by the convenience of the location.

Turi, a third-year computer engineering PhD student, was one such student who signed up for the vaccine at the tables.

Turi said he usually gets the vaccine, and with there being a convenient location from where he could receive the shot, there was little reason not to get it again. “The earlier, the better,” Turi added.

While some students in the CUB took the opportunity to get the vaccine, others chose not to.

David Rayfield, a freshman criminal justice major, said despite the attention given to the current flu season and the H1N1 flu virus, he chose not to get a flu shot.

“I don’t get them, and I’m usually fine,” Rayfield said.

Despite the differing viewpoints on the seasonal flu vaccine, Miller said that students were appearing at the outreach table in numbers average in comparison to last year.

Miller also addressed some of the concerns that students expressed to her.

“Some people are worried about it being uncomfortable,” Miller said. “It’s not just for your self, though. It’s looking out for your community.”

People interested in the seasonal flu vaccine should also consider the H1N1 flu vaccine, which is offered separately and targets the respective virus only, she added.

According to the CDC vaccine information statement sheet that is required literature handed out to all students receiving the shot, those considering the shot should be aware of the risks involved in receiving the protection.

The CDC paper states that though the vaccine could cause serious problems including allergic reactions, the risk of a vaccine inducing severe reactions is rare and any reaction is usually within minutes of vaccination.

For any severe reaction, signaled by symptoms like difficulty in breathing or high fever, Miller advises that recipients of the vaccine call or get to a doctor immediately.

Miller, who as a pharmacy student in Washington State can administer the shot, said the vaccine takes about two weeks to protect the patient from the seasonal flu.

The Student Health and Wellness services are offering the vaccine on campus at the health and wellness center and various locations like the CUB for $25 to students.