Although the MU Student Health Center has once again made their top priority for the season giving students flu shots, many students have found it hard to find the time to actually get one.
The Student Health Center provides shots for $15 and has made a point to come to students by setting up shop in different areas of campus during different times.
“It’s hard to find time to walk to the Student Health Center to get them, to make the time to sit down and do it, and I never usually get the flu,” MU sophomore Mollie Barnes said. “I guess I just get the feeling it’s not going to happen to me. I just usually have lots of other things I need to be doing and the flu isn’t top on my priority list.”
Sophomore Alicia Ubriaco had a similar opinion, believing she also does not need a flu shot.
“I’ve never had the flu, so I never got a flu shot,” she said. “If you take care of yourself, there’s no need. I think people who have the flu are the people who are generally sick. They need to man up and live their lives.”
Although it is true that there are people who go without the flu shot and do not contract the flu, the likelihood of getting the flu is dependent on many things and is unpredictable in its spread, MU Student Health Center nurse Deneal Sullivan said in an email.
“The flu shot’s protection is only good for one year,” Sullivan said. “The odds of someone getting the flu are dependent upon many factors, including prevalence in the community, underlying medical conditions, general immunity, etc. The CDC recommends that all children over the age of six months of age and all adults receive the flu vaccine.”
“The shot is reasonably priced,” Ubriaco said. “I would go get it if it was necessary.”
Barnes said she could afford a $15 flu shot.
The Center for Disease Control has recommended everyone get a yearly flu shot since February 2010, according to its website.
“I know that we’ve already given more flu shots this year than last year,” Student Health Center spokeswoman Pam Roe said. “We’ve made a great effort this year to bring the flu clinics to different academic homes. So instead of the students coming here, we’ve brought it to the students. Some of the feedback we’ve gotten is positive and it’s our top priority.”
Roe also said the CDC recommends people get vaccinations anytime during October or November since the vaccine takes two weeks to set in.
The Student Health Center has set up clinics at locations around campus at locations ranging from the MU College of Veterinary Medicine to the MU Police Department since Oct. 5. The Student Health Center has also worked with the UM System program Healthy for Life in order to provide vaccinations to faculty and staff at the same time as students.
“We have given about 2,200 flu shots at our external flu clinics,” Roe said. “We have one more flu clinic this week at the School of Medicine, so those numbers will change by the end of the week. Within the Student Health Center, we have given about 400 flu shots. So, roughly, about 10 percent of MU students have been vaccinated through the health center.”
