Doctors
suggest flu shots
By
Betsy Truberg
Daily Forty-Niner
Because
November marks the start of flu season,
it is recommended that students get a vaccination
now to prevent the troubles of the flu,
said Dr. Ming-Yu Cheng, M.D., coordinator
of the Health Resource Center. Students
will have an opportunity to get the flu
shot on campus at the clinic on Wednesday,
Oct. 22.
"It
is a preventative strategy you want to use,"
Cheng said. Flu season continues throughout
the winter, a period of elevated stress
levels among students. Cheng said that although
students are typically healthy, stress could
compromise an immune system, causing students
to become susceptible to the flu.
In
the past, flu shots have been recommended
only for the very young or elderly, or those
with chronic illnesses such as asthma and
heart disease. However, now that the flu
vaccination supply is greater, more people
are prompted to receive the vaccination.
While
everyone is encouraged to take this measure
of flu prevention, those with a strong and
healthy immune system may not need it, Cheng
said.
Cal
State Long Beach student, Sila Barr, 19,
does not plan to get the vaccination. "I
never get horribly sick, so I don't see
an imminent need to get it," Barr said.
"I
think it's probably a really good preventative
measure, though, especially if you're prone
to getting sick." She also feels that
the $20 vaccination fee is a "fair
price" because the flu can be "such
an inconvenience if you get it."
Some
may feel that the flu shot can actually
give people the flu, but according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Web site, this is incorrect. The CDC explains
that the "licensed injectable flu vaccine
used in the United States, which is made
from inactivated or killed flu viruses,
cannot cause the flu."
However,
people may not feel well after getting the
flu shot. "Some people might have cold-like
symptoms for one or two days after getting
the flu shot," Cheng said. Because
an immune system can be temporarily weakened
from the vaccination, one should not get
the shot if he or she is not feeling well.
"Get it when you're healthy,"
she said.
The
flu is caused by the influenza virus and
affects the upper and lower respiratory
systems, according to the Student Health
Services brochure on colds and the flu.
Symptoms come on suddenly and include fever,
chills, muscle and joint pain, headache,
fatigue, weakness and possibly a stuffy
nose and sore throat. Approximately 30,000
people die from the flu each year in the
United States, according to the CDC.
The
MSNBC health Web site explains that the
vaccine "should be taken each year
because flu viruses are constantly mutating
and each year the vaccine is updated to
include the most current flu strains."
Also according to the Web site, the "greatest
risk of infections is in highly populated
areas and schools."
Student
Health Services recommends that people prevent
getting and spreading the flu by washing
their hands frequently. People should also
avoid touching their noses, eyes and mouths.
Eating well and exercising regularly can
help maintain a healthy immune system.
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