More than 400 students receive free flu vaccines
For the start of the fall influenza season, Syracuse University Health Services administered at least 400 free flu vaccines to students Friday in Flanagan Gymnasium.
Health Services encourages immunization to maintain individual and campus well-being, especially after last year’s chaotic flu season due to the appearance of the H1N1 virus, said Kathy VanVechten, special assistant to the director of Health Services, in an e-mail.
VanVechten and two other Health Services staff members administered the vaccines to SU and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The vaccine is an inactivated form of influenza that cannot cause the illness, but is very good at preventing it, VanVechten said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends all people aged six months and older receive the vaccination. The current vaccine for 2010-11 protects against the 2009 H1N1 virus and two other forms of influenza, according to its website.
Last year, both seasonal influenza and H1N1 vaccines were made available to students, and a total of 5,800 immunizations were administered, VanVechten said. She said a steady flow of students came to be vaccinated Friday.
Flu season usually stretches from November through March or April, VanVechten said.
Viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs cause the seasonal flu. Its symptoms include fever, sore throat, stuffy nose, body aches and fatigue, according to the CDC’s website. The flu is very contagious and can be spread to others even from six feet away, according to the website.
Future vaccination clinics will be planned based on student interest, VanVechten said.
The danger of contracting the flu for students is they may possibly miss classes and deadlines, especially in November and December, VanVechten said.
Robin Pepper, a freshman civil engineering major who received the vaccine Friday, said she decided to receive the vaccination because she got the flu once in middle school. She said she missed schoolwork and does not want to experience it again in college.
‘I don’t want to get sick,’ Pepper said. ‘It’s close quarters living here, so it’s easier to get the flu.’
She said it is convenient the university offers the vaccine on campus to those interested in getting it, as students are unlikely to travel somewhere else to get it.
Though vaccination is proven to be safe, there are still students, like Ben Kintish, a freshman engineering major, who prefer not to receive the vaccine.
‘I know it’s scientifically tested, but it’s kind of strange that you’re putting the disease in your body,’ Kintish said.
Other students said they do not think the vaccine is necessary.
‘Other people probably need it more,’ said Alex Lafontaine, a freshman physics major who has never received the flu shot. ‘And I can generally stay away from being sick. I feel like your body is meant to deal with a certain amount of sickness.’
If students have the flu, Health Services treats the clinical symptoms and can prescribe antiviral medicine, VanVechten said.
Besides receiving the vaccine, the CDC advises maintenance of good health habits to prevent the flu. This includes avoiding close contact, frequently washing hands, covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, getting enough sleep and managing stress.
Published on October 17, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Contact Breanne: brvannos@syr.edu | @bre_vann
