2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty, students should seek flu shots
Jamilah Holloway
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Campus News
UTM Student Health Services began offering flu shots Monday to students to help them prevent getting the flu this season.
Shannon Deal, a nurse practitioner and director of Student Health, said in an e-mail interview that the shots cost $20 each for students who do not have health insurance, which is cheaper than the $30 cash payment charged by many health clinics.
Students with private insurance through their families usually can get flu shots from their home physicians for even less, she said.
Faculty and staff, however, will not be able to get flu shots on campus this year, though Deal said she encourages them to still get vaccinated.
"We have discontinued offering faculty and staff the flu vaccine so that we can allocate our resources to serving students," Deal said.
"We have had to take a very close look and evaluate our spending, just as all departments on campus have. However, we will continue to offer the same services to students in order to help ensure a healthy campus environment."
Students do not have to make an appointment to get a flu shot at Student Health, but they do need to make an appointment to receive other health services, she said.
"Last year we had more documented cases, meaning more students tested positive for the flu, than we have ever had," Deal said. "During flu season, we see from 100-175 students a week and it was not unusual to have 20-30 documented cases a week."
Deal said that flu should be a concern for students and that the flu vaccine is vital in helping students avoid the illness. However, she said, only about 150 to 300 students get the vaccine annually at Student Health.
"A lot of students believe they won't get the flu because they are generally healthy," Deal said. "While certain categories of the population are more susceptible to the flu, students are also at risk and if they get the flu it could lead to missed classes and affect their academic performance."
According to the national Centers for Disease Control, vaccinations should begin as early as the fall - August or September - and continue into February, the beginning of the flu season. The season can last until April or May.
People only have to be vaccinated once a year, so if a student gets vaccinated in August or September, that student is covered until flu season is over. The flu vaccine protects against the three primary flu strains or it can make your illness milder if you get a related but different flu virus strain, according to the CDC.
The flu is a virus spread via respiratory contact and cannot be caused by allergies or sinus problems, Deal said. Flu symptoms include a cough and runny nose, high fever, generalized body aches and headache, though not all symptoms will be present for all people.
Along with getting vaccinated, people can help prevent getting the flu by frequently washing their hands, avoiding contact with large crowds during flu season and avoiding contact with people who are sick, Deal said.
For more information, call Student Health at 881-7750 or visit the CDC's influenza Web site at www.cdc.gov
Shannon Deal, a nurse practitioner and director of Student Health, said in an e-mail interview that the shots cost $20 each for students who do not have health insurance, which is cheaper than the $30 cash payment charged by many health clinics.
Students with private insurance through their families usually can get flu shots from their home physicians for even less, she said.
Faculty and staff, however, will not be able to get flu shots on campus this year, though Deal said she encourages them to still get vaccinated.
"We have discontinued offering faculty and staff the flu vaccine so that we can allocate our resources to serving students," Deal said.
"We have had to take a very close look and evaluate our spending, just as all departments on campus have. However, we will continue to offer the same services to students in order to help ensure a healthy campus environment."
Students do not have to make an appointment to get a flu shot at Student Health, but they do need to make an appointment to receive other health services, she said.
"Last year we had more documented cases, meaning more students tested positive for the flu, than we have ever had," Deal said. "During flu season, we see from 100-175 students a week and it was not unusual to have 20-30 documented cases a week."
Deal said that flu should be a concern for students and that the flu vaccine is vital in helping students avoid the illness. However, she said, only about 150 to 300 students get the vaccine annually at Student Health.
"A lot of students believe they won't get the flu because they are generally healthy," Deal said. "While certain categories of the population are more susceptible to the flu, students are also at risk and if they get the flu it could lead to missed classes and affect their academic performance."
According to the national Centers for Disease Control, vaccinations should begin as early as the fall - August or September - and continue into February, the beginning of the flu season. The season can last until April or May.
People only have to be vaccinated once a year, so if a student gets vaccinated in August or September, that student is covered until flu season is over. The flu vaccine protects against the three primary flu strains or it can make your illness milder if you get a related but different flu virus strain, according to the CDC.
The flu is a virus spread via respiratory contact and cannot be caused by allergies or sinus problems, Deal said. Flu symptoms include a cough and runny nose, high fever, generalized body aches and headache, though not all symptoms will be present for all people.
Along with getting vaccinated, people can help prevent getting the flu by frequently washing their hands, avoiding contact with large crowds during flu season and avoiding contact with people who are sick, Deal said.
For more information, call Student Health at 881-7750 or visit the CDC's influenza Web site at www.cdc.gov
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