With the spring semester comes the height of the flu season, and the Student Health Center has already issued approximately 3,000 vaccines to students. 
Health Center employee Amanda Ourso said about 50 injections remain.
The injection is free for full-time students and is available to part-time students and staff at the Health Center for a fee, said Julie Hupperich, Health Center associate director, but most insurance companies cover the flu shot. 
The vaccine lasts about six months before the person is no longer immune, Hupperich said.
An alternative to the flu shot is the flu nasal spray, but it’s not provided at the Health Center because fewer people are qualified to receive it, Hupperich said. Moving toward using the spray more has not been discussed, though Hupperich said it is available at local drug stores.
In some ways, college students are more susceptible to the flu than the rest of the population because they live in close proximity to their peers in large classes and residence halls, Hupperich said. Students are also more likely to share food, drinks and utensils, making it easy to pass the flu, she added.
However, being young and in shape does give college students an advantage over others, Hupperich said.
While Hupperich said the vaccine can help prevent the flu, she said there are instances where the vaccine won’t help. In the middle of a sickness is the only time getting the vaccine is discouraged, as the immune system is already struggling. After being infected with the flu virus, the vaccine will not help much, as the body already recognizes the virus and can fight it off,                     Hupperich said.
Hupperich addressed some misconceptions about the vaccine, saying that neither the flu shot nor the spray can cause the flu, and the only side effects may be soreness at the injection site.
Student opinion on the shot varies.
Alexis Ledoux, chemical engineering freshman, encouraged students to get the vaccine. Ledoux received the shot and was around her sister who had the flu and didn’t catch it. Her sister did not get the vaccine, she said.
Morgan Maite, food science graduate student, said she believes the best theory is to just “wash your hands.” Maite said she doesn’t get the shot, nor         the flu.
Hupperich advised students to get the flu shot and to have healthy habits to help prevent it, such as getting plenty of sleep, eating well-balanced meals, exercising and disinfecting computer mice and keyboards periodically.