Avoid two sick weeks, get a flu shot

As the days get shorter, the air crisper, and as midterms loom, students begin flocking indoors. Suddenly the university becomes a breeding ground for diseases. While it is tempting to procrastinate studying by scouring eBay for a HAZMAT suit (conveniently doubling up as a Walter White Halloween costume), maybe yellow isn’t your colour.

There is another way to protect yourself from your oozy lab partner who just wiped his mucus-covered hands all over the microscope you’re sharing. That my friends, is a flu shot.

Flu is a common respiratory disease caused by the contagious influenza virus. An infected person can remain contagious and spread the virus to others up to two weeks after symptoms arise. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the flu causes approximately 20,000 hospitalizations and 2,000-8,000 deaths every year in Canada.

In valiant attempts to not let a sore throat thwart our daily lives, we underestimate the seriousness that is the flu. There exists a misconception that young, healthy persons will not contract the flu, let alone die from it. And to be fair, it’s hard to imagine the average healthy student dropping dead from a mild fever and the chills. However, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2014, 60 per cent of all hospitalizations and deaths related to influenza were individuals between the ages of 18-64. Influenza is not limited to the immunocompromised.

Getting a flu shot isn’t a sure shot you won’t get sick. The ability of the flu vaccine to protect a person depends on various factors, including the age and health status of the person being vaccinated, and also the similarity or “match” between the viruses used to make the vaccine and those circulating in the community. However, the World Health Organization states that flu shots prevent up to 90 per cent of flu-specific illnesses.

A flu shot is also an act of consideration for your fellow students. If more people get their flu shots, less people will spread the virus. And it’s free. Immunization clinics will be held Nov. 3-6 in Dinwoodie Lounge on the second floor of SUB. Get your shot, if not to protect yourself than for the common good. No one needs your coughing ass infecting the entire student body.