Flu season is upon us
By Monique Heath and Nicole Singleton, Contributing Writer
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Students and staff members at Central State lined up for free flu shots the first week of November.
“It’s free and it’s on campus and it’s getting closer to winter and I’m trying to not get sick,” said Junior Mallory Yates.
Flu season in the Midwest doesn’t usually start until January, February, or March, said Elaine Scott, nurse practitioner of the Central State University Student Health Services. However, it’s important to get your flu shot early because it takes two weeks before your body actually builds the immunity to prevent the virus.
The flu is a respiratory disease caused by the influenza virus infection. There are more than 2000 forms of influenza. The flu is airborne. It travels from region to region on airwave currents. Flu-like symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, and a severely painful, dry cough. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 36,000 Americans, mostly elderly, die from the flu in a typical year.
“If you have diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting that’s not the flu. It’s what (many people) call it, but that’s actually what we call a gastro-intestinal bacteria,” Scott said.
The flu strongly affects specific groups of people including adults 55 years of age and older, children 6-23 months old, adults and children with chronic health conditions, and women more than three months pregnant. High-risk individuals should receive flu vaccination annually. Scott says the vaccination replicates the virus, but it’s not “live-active”, so it cannot make you sick
Dr. Melvin Harris got a flu shot Oct. 31, 2005. “You read all this stuff with reference to a certain age and if you have certain health issues it’s probably a good idea to get a flu shot,” he said.
Scott said there is currently no vaccine available for the Asian bird flu, which health authorities fear could cause a global pandemic. The Bush administration has announced a plan to spend $7.1 billion to prepare the nation for the possibility of a pandemic.
A flu shot is still the best protection against most forms of the flu whether you’re at high risk of the virus or not. If you missed the free shots, be sure to contact your local physician.
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