Flu season, get your shots, feel good

Beth Kimes missed classes for a full week. She felt hot, then cold. She was weak, had body aches and a sore throat. Kimes had the flu.

"Last year, I forgot to get the flu shot," said the clinical psychology major, "but I've already gotten it (flu shot) this year."

Not wanting a repeat of last year's illness, Kimes recently went to the Student Health Center to get her annual flu shot. Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a respiratory illness that normally causes high fever, coughs, sore throat, headaches, chills, muscle aches and fatigue.

"I know the flu doesn't seem that terrifying at all, but people really die from it," said Kimes.

According to Jacqueline De Fouw, Health Educator for Student Health Services, 36,000 people die as a result of the flu each year. 230,000 people are hospitalized each year with influenza.

Flu shots will be offered at the Student Health Center on Nov. 17 and Dec. 9 from noon to 2 p.m. The cost for the shot is $20, or if you prefer the flu mist, the cost is $30.

Influenza affects between five and 20 percent of the population each year. It is most often spread person to person through coughing, sneezing, and nasal secretions. To prevent getting the flu, you should wash your hands often and avoid close contact with sick people. However, according to the Center for Disease Control, the best way to prevent getting the flu is to get a yearly flu vaccination.

De Fouw said once you get a flu vaccination, it normally takes two weeks for the antibiotics to begin fighting off the flu. De Fouw strongly urges all staff, faculty and students, many who will be traveling in two weeks for the Thanksgiving holiday, to be immunized.

"Students can often bring it back with them from home or take it with them there from school," said De Fouw.

Although De Fouw encourages most students to get vaccinated, she said the flu vaccine isn't for everyone.

"The only ones who shouldn't get the vaccination are those who are allergic to eggs or have Guillain-Barre syndrome," said De Fouw. "They should talk to their doctor."

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a type of auto-immune disease that causes the immune system to attack the peripheral nervous system.

The flu vaccination will protect up to a year, and the Center for Disease Control recommends getting the vaccine each year.

"Every year, there is a new flu vaccine," said De Fouw. "Scientists study the different flu viruses that are seen around the world and have to figure out what strain will be coming to the United States."

Last year's flu season was one of the worse in recent years. According to the CDC, the proportion of deaths due to pneumonia and influenza were higher during the 2007-2008 flu season than in the previous two seasons. De Fouw attributed last year's abnormally high report of flu cases to a mutation of the virus. Because scientists were not prepared for this mutation, the flu shots did not work against the new strain.

De Fouw said students should seek treatment as soon as they think they have the flu. If a student feels sick, they need to be seen soon. De Fouw said there are medications that can be given to help shorten the severity of the virus.

"They won't be as sick as they would be without the medicine," De Fouw said.

However, because of a fear of needles, some students are willing to risk getting sick. Some, like Marissa King, have decided to take another approach to fighting the flu.

King, 19, said it's been about three years since she had the flu. King, who said she usually doesn't get sick, has never taken the flu shot and has no plans to take it this year.

"I'll just stay away from sick people," said the English major.