With flu season in full swing, San Diego State Student Health Services advises all students to aquire the flu shot vaccine.
SHS Administrative Manager Sue Henry said it’s recommended students of all ages get the flu shot, which costs $15 at Calpulli Center.
SHS Director Gregg Lichtenstein said the vaccination is an important part of being healthy at SDSU campus, which has more than 40,000 students, faculty and staff. More than 500 SDSU students, faculty and staff have received flu vaccination this year, Lichtenstein said.
Infectious disease experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that everyone over the age of six months receive a flu vaccination every year, Lichtenstein said.
“It’s particularly important as this year we are seeing higher levels of flu than usual,” Lichtenstein said.
The flu starts with symptoms such as a sore throat, fever, headache, body aches and coughing.
There is generally a surge in the number of flu cases when students return from winter break and start spending more time in close proximity to each other. Though the spike in cases is common around this time, Lichtenstein said there appears to be higher number of cases of severe illness in people between the ages of 20 and 64.
“This was a little unusual, as we typically see more severe illness in the very young and the very old,” Lichtenstein said.
Director of the SDSU Graduate School of Public Health Carleen Stoskopf said the most recent H1N1 strain might pose the biggest threat. The strain is hitting young adults and children the hardest, but elderly who do not get this flu are always at risk for worse outcomes, Stoskopf said.
“People born before 1957 appear to have some immunity to this strain,” Stoskopf said.
In addition to getting a flu shot, other ways to prevent the flu are washing hands frequently, avoiding coughing on others, avoiding people with flu-like symptoms and not attending class if flu-like symptoms persist, she said. Immune systems can be boosted by getting enough rest, consuming lots of water and eating nutritious meals.
Professor and Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Stephenie Brodine encouraged students to invest in the vaccine.
The city of San Diego is currently considered at an elevated risk for the flu with 3,000 cases this flu season, Brodine said. According to a report released from the San Diego County Heath and Human Services on Jan. 29, there were 609 confirmed flu cases for the week ending on Jan. 25. During that same week, there were eight more deaths, according to the report.
“Not only will you protect yourself, but you also will reduce the spread to students who aren’t vaccinated,” Brodine said.
