As the weather turns grim, class attendance seems to follow, but one major factor of the falling attendance is preventable: the flu.
As a borderline germaphobe, I cringe when I notice unsanitary habits on campus that contribute to the spread of germs. The lack of hand-washing in the restroom is my personal pet peeve.
But luckily, the Student Health Center will be administering free flu shots this week in preparation for flu season.
Though many students know about the free flu shots, few receive them and often endanger others by not getting vaccinated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu season spans from October through March. But Julie Hupperich, associate director at the Student Health Center, said the Health Center usually encounters annual peaks in cases of the flu during January and February.
Hupperich said recipients are best protected within six months of receiving a flu shot. So ideally, one would get vaccinated in October to ward away the flu until flu season ends.
Though flu season coincidently begins near midterms, everyone knows midterms week isn’t complete until you are entirely stressed and sleep-deprived — two major factors contributing to illness.
In an effort to make flu shots more accessible to students, the Student Health Center kicked off its annual program, Flu Shots on the Geaux, last year.
Because the flu shot is free for all full-time students and students who have paid the Student Health Fee, there is no reason to miss out on this opportunity — unless, of course, you’re afraid of needles.
But ask yourself: Does the brief pain of receiving an injection outweigh spending an achy week in bed with the flu? Definitely.
Hupperich said almost 1,600 students received flu shots last fall, and that’s an abhorrent turnout on such a large campus for something healthy and free.
Though it’s good to hear so many students were vaccinated, a vast majority of our campus, which comprises almost 30,000 students, did not receive flu shots through the Health Center — if at all.
Symptoms of the flu include fever, coughing, body aches and a stuffy nose — not symptoms you’d like to experience during final exams week or the start to a new semester.
On Monday and Tuesday, students can receive their flu shots from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the Student Health Center. The shots will also be administered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday at the Student Union Theater, as well as from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at the University Student Recreational Complex.
Oct. 30 is the final day to receive flu shots from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Business Education Complex while supplies last.
So instead of risking spending a week quarantined in your bedroom with the flu, take 15 minutes out of your busy schedule to get vaccinated.
