The swine flu vaccine will be available to high-risk groups on all four ASU campuses Wednesday, but University officials are still uncertain how many people will take advantage of it.
Students, staff and faculty 24 years and younger, those with various medical conditions and those caring for young children will be able to receive the vaccine first for $10.
The shots will be available at ASU Health Services for people with medical conditions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and the remaining groups can be vaccinated beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Eligible medical conditions are listed on the Health Services Web site.
Polytechnic and West campuses will only distribute the vaccination on Wednesday and the Downtown campus distribution will only be on Thursday.
An ASU study released last week of 700 Arizona households showed the majority of residents surveyed believe the H1N1 flu is less contagious than the seasonal flu, and only about half would consider getting the vaccine.
Megan Jehn, assistant professor of health management and policy with the W. P. Carey School of Business, said most people surveyed did not think they were at risk for swine flu and thought the illness was not very contagious.
“The goal [with the survey] was to figure out what people knew and where they might go for treatment,” she said. “There seems to be a disconnect with the public.”
Though many of those surveyed seemed to know basic prevention techniques like washing their hands, many said they were following news about the virus less frequently, Jehn said.
“When it comes down to communication, different populations see different news,” she said, adding that it is important to convince populations 35 and younger to get vaccinated.
“The younger population has no prior exposure to this novel strain of the flu,” Jehn said. “College students are [often] within two meters of another person, which increases the risk of disease.”
Though the results of the survey were based on phone calls to landlines throughout Arizona, many college students said they feel the same way as those polled.
Psychology freshman Elizabeth Cameron, who suffered from swine flu in October, said she underestimated her chances of getting the virus.
“I didn’t think it was very common,” she said. “I thought it was a little over-hyped.”
Cameron, who was sick for three weeks, said she recommends the vaccine to students who are able to get it because the flu can cause students to miss schoolwork and even contract other illnesses.
“In some cases you can get pneumonia, and that’s what happened to me,” she said.
Cameron said she thinks the media does the best it can in its coverage, adding that many students hear about updates by word-of-mouth from their peers.
One of Jehn’s co-researchers Deborah Schumacher, a graduate student in the School of Health Management and Policy, said the research team found many surprising statistics that can help frame the way communication is delivered.
“What we call ‘social distancing’ was not as high as it should have been,” Schumacher said.
Social distancing refers to H1N1 sufferers choosing to quarantine themselves when they are diagnosed. Schumacher said the survey showed that a large number of people would not stay home if they were feeling just a little bit sick.
“If you’re going to hit a younger demographic, where most of the flu is happening, you’re going to have to hit the social networking sites,” she said.
As the University begins to offer H1N1 vaccines, Schumacher said it’s essential to inform students of the risks associated with the disease and why the vaccination is important for prevention.
“I’m sure [ASU] knows that the best way to get information out is through the computer,” she said. “They need to make sure the person who is framing the message is perceived as trustworthy.”
Reach the reporter at ndgilber@asu.edu.
