By Emily Wiest
Elm Staff Writer
Close living quarters, shared dining facilities, classrooms, and restrooms — germs spread fast on college campuses. That, mixed with the stress of midterms weakening our immune systems, means that college students are at a heightened risk for catching the flu.
Despite this, the vast majority of college students across the U.S. aren’t getting the flu shot. Vaccination rates hover between only eight and 39 percent on campuses across the country, which is an alarmingly low statistic given recent events.
Last winter, over 80,000 Americans lost their lives to flu-related illnesses, making it the deadliest flu season in more than 40 years. It may not seem like that big of a deal to young and healthy college kids, but it’s important to remember that it can be dangerous for anyone, not just the elderly.
In fact, the biggest flu outbreak recorded in decades took place on a college campus — last year, the College at Brockport had 375 cases within weeks. It was determined that 95 percent of those who got sick hadn’t been vaccinated.
If those numbers aren’t enough to motivate you, remember that getting the flu shot doesn’t only impact the individual — immunization is a community-wide issue. When enough of a population is immunized, the majority of that population will be protected from the disease, including those who aren’t vaccinated — what’s known as herd immunity. If WC students fall in the range of most U.S. college kids, not enough of us are participating to create that kind of protection.
We should all be considering those who can’t get the vaccine for medical reasons — those who are allergic to ingredients found in the vaccine and those who have compromised immune systems, to name a few. When the rest of us do our part, these people have higher protection from the flu. If you aren’t willing to get stuck with a needle for your own sake, think of the people you know and live with who might not be able to protect themselves.
From Oct. 1 to 4, Walgreens set up a clinic right in Hodson, making it easy and convenient for students to get their flu shot. That opportunity has since passed, but Walgreens is just down the road from campus and is still offering the vaccine during normal business hours. Not to mention, most insurance policies cover the cost of the flu vaccine fully, so there aren’t many significant barriers to getting the vaccine.
The CDC reports that immunization generally reduces a person’s risk of contracting the flu by 61 percent.
Yes, rates of success for the flu shot vary through the season as scientists try to anticipate what strain we’ll get hit with the hardest, but getting a shot is hardly a high price to pay for the possibility of cutting your risk of infection in half — especially not when all it takes is a walk down the street.