Every fall, flu season begins, with influenza shots being distributed as early as late August and continuing into winter. However, many contemplate if the risk is really worth getting the injection.
Students avoid getting the flu shot because they believe that getting the flu shot doesn’t protect them from the flu. Many, in fact, believe that the shot itself can cause the flu because the virus is injected into their system.
“I hear people say that all the time,” said Lynn Steinhauer, a licensed practical nurse from the Tempe chapter of Community Wellness and Safety of Arizona.
Steinhauer said those who get the shot couldn’t catch the flu from it, because the virus injected is inactive. She said the misunderstanding dates back to World War 2, when the live virus was injected into troops and many got sick and even died.
“Now, you can get mild symptoms, like redness on your arm, mild body aches or a low grade fever,” Steinhauer said. “But that’s very rare.”
Steinhauer said the reason people still get the flu depends on the strains included in the shot for protection. Manufacturers try to determine which strains will be prevalent each year, and inactivated versions of the strains are included in the shot.
“There are three strains in the shot every year,” Steinhauer said. “Last year, they had one strain that was only partially effective.”
Steinhauer said that it’s necessary to get the flu shot every year, because the strains of the virus are constantly changing and immunity from the shot decreases over the months.
Pregnant women, children from six to 18 years of age, people over 50 and those with serious medical conditions are among those urged to get a flu shot.
However, Steinhauer thinks that nearly everyone, including college students, can benefit from the vaccine.
“[College students] live in an environment with a lot of different people and in dormitories with high exposure,” Steinhauer said.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services’ website, every year anywhere from five to 20 percent of Arizona’s population gets the flu. Of those, over 4,000 people are hospitalized from complications and around 700 people die.
The flu spreads primarily from contact. According to the website, it can be passed through coughing, sneezing, or touching something with the virus and then touching one’s mouth or nose. With this, it’s possible for people to pass on the virus before knowing that they’re sick.
Steinhauer said that it’s best to get the shot early in the fall since it takes two weeks for full immunity.
However, she said those with certain conditions or those who have had a bad reaction in the past shouldn’t get vaccinated.
ASU Campus Health Services sponsored “Seasons Pass,” a flu shot event from Oct. 6 to Oct. 10, where shots were distributed outside the Memorial Union. For those who missed their chance, the booth will return Oct. 20 to Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost of the shot is $21.
Reach the reporter at scotthuscher@yahoo.com.
