Nothing to sneeze at
Student health part 2 of 4: Cold & Flu
Bethany Harbison
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: News
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"I had much vaccine left over," Edge said.
Why do students avoid flu shots like, well, the flu?
The cost, $15 last year, is hardly exorbitant, and students do not even have to leave campus to receive the shot.
"The flu shot's really only for the very old and very young - people in their twenties don't usually need to get it," Chris Moore, a JSU junior majoring in biology, said.
Health professionals like Edge disagree.
"I recommend that any student that lives in residence halls have a flu shot," Edge said.
"Actually, I think that every student should get a flu shot."
Though the Student Health Center has not yet begun offering flu shots - they plan to begin in mid-October-Crow Drug, the pharmacy located on the Square, began early morning on Tuesday, Oct. 2.
Nurses Jennifer Kreps and Jeff Patterson were on site to administer both flu and pneumonia vaccines, which cost 25 and 40 dollars, respectively. Both cited the close contact on college campuses as reason enough for students to receive the flu shot.
"Students are in dormitories and areas where lots of people could get sick if they aren't protected," Kreps said. "It's very important, not only to prevent you from getting sick, but also to prevent spreading the flu to others."
Despite recommendations like these, Patterson said that the majority of the day's patients were elderly, Medicare Part B recipients. He estimated that most fell in the sixty to eighty-years-old range.
"I wish more people would get the flu shot younger. But, on the whole, from what I've seen not that many young people do get one," Patterson said.
"It would be a good idea."
Kreps compared the sting of the flu shot to nothing more than an ant bite. And that is if the patient feels the injection at all.
After one elderly woman received her flu shot, the woman smiled at Kreps and said, "Thank you! You give a great shot!"
Dotti Adams, who works at a local dentist's office, received her first-ever flu shot Tuesday after her boss decided the whole office should get one.
"It didn't hurt," Adams said. "I didn't feel it at all."
Though the initial sting of a flu shot is minor, Edge said that it is not without possible side effects - usually a slight fever and soreness.
She also dispelled the notion that the actual flu virus can be contracted by the shot.
"You cannot get the flu from the flu shot," Edge said. "That is a myth."
Edge said that the flu vaccines used by the Student Health Center are inactivated - or dead - forms of the virus.
Because numerous strains of the flu virus are constantly forming, the World Health Organization determines each year which strain is believed to be most prevalent.
"It's always a guess," Kreps said.
She also said that even if an individual contracts a different strain of the flu than the one they were vaccinated against, their symptoms are often not quite as severe.
According to Edge, receiving a flu shot is only one part of protecting oneself during the upcoming winter months, which are considered cold and flu season.
To stay healthy, Edge said that no preventative measure beats simply washing one's hands and that individuals should wash them whenever possible.
Many believe that coughing is the main culprit for spreading colds and the flu.
However, Edge said that the illnesses are actually spread mostly via touch. She said that normally an individual will touch a surface that a sick person touched and then touch their own mouth, eyes, or nose.
Maintaining habits that are important for general good health are also important, according to Edge.
"Be sure to get enough sleep, which boosts your immune system and eat a balanced diet," Edge said.
Edge recommended making a switch to a disposable tissue, such as Kleenex, from handkerchiefs. She also said that keeping a "safe distance" from sick people was also a good idea.
Though Vitamin C and certain herbs are said to help prevent the flu or colds, Edge said that no conclusive research has yet to prove these substances' worthiness as a preventative measure.
She did say, however, that certain holistic "treatments," like chicken soup, may indeed be good for the soul.
"Chicken soup makes you just feel better," Edge said. "It opens the sinuses because it is a warm liquid, but has no medicinal benefits."
COLD AND FLU TREATMENT DO'S AND DONT'S
- Don't treat with an antibiotic. These target bacterial, not viral, infections.
- Don't smoke. It further irritates nasal passages, increasing risk for bronchitis or pneumonia.
- Do drink lots of liquids. They loosen secretions, relieving nasal congestion. Caffeine and alcohol, however, slow recovery time.
- Do gargle with salt water to reduce swelling in the throat.
- Do get plenty of rest. Allow your body the time it needs to recover.
- Do take aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen to lower fever and ease pain.
- Do inhale warm, moist air to soothe inflamed mucous membranes. Put a pan of water on your bedroom radiator or use a cool-mist humidifier.
- Courtesy of American College Health Association
A devout Christian, Bethany Harbison is the Copy Editor of The Chanticleer. She can be reached at (256) 782-8192 or at chantycopy@gmail.com. You can read her weekly blog on faith at bethanyharbison.blogspot.com.
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