Flu season is almost here, and Salt Lake Community College students can benefit from getting a flu shot. This year, only one shot is needed to protect against the regular flu and the H1-N1 flu.
Flu shots are important. The benefits of getting one are many, the most important being that students won’t miss as many classes, nor will students miss as much work either.
It has been advertised on TV that almost every one should get a flu shot from the age of six months up. Although quite a few students come to the Health and Wellness Center for a flu shot, some students do not want the flu shot for various reasons. “I would be interested in a shot if not for the H1-N1 vaccination being combined with the normal flu shot,” computer technology student Newman said.
Getting a flu shot will not give you the flu. The vaccine is called inactive vaccine, which means the flu virus that is used as a vaccine is not alive. How the shot works is simple: the shot puts antibodies into the system to help the immune system fight the flu. Students with asthma, or an immune deficiency, or at a high risk of getting the flu need to get a shot for sure.
“Flu shots help to protect other people,” says Jessica Tumca, medical assistant at the Health and Wellness Center .
There are certain students that should not get a flu shot, such as students with an allergy to eggs. Also, if you have had an allergic reaction to a different kind of vaccination, flu shots are discouraged.
The Health and Wellness Center is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. They are closed on weekends and holidays. The Health and Wellness Center is located in the basement floor of the Student Center in 035. The cost for students to get a flu shot is $15.