With flu outbreaks beginning as early as October, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many health-conscious individuals are choosing to receive influenza vaccines.
Throughout the current and coming months, students in Columbia Public Schools will be able to receive flu vaccinations free of cost, thanks to a generous partnership from the David B. Lichtenstein Foundation and the University of Missouri Children’s Hospital. Coordinator of Health Services Lori Osborne, said the free flu shots will be available to all students under 18 and will be provided at school by health clinicians who will travel to elementary and middle schools.
“Columbia Public Schools students in grades preschool through eighth grade have the opportunity to participate in a school based seasonal influenza clinic during the month of October and early November,” Osborne said. “A signed and completed consent form by a parent or guardian is required before the vaccine will be administered.”
The influenza clinics will not travel to the high schools: however, students aged 18 and under who still wish to receive their free vaccines can do so at the Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services, accompanied by a parent or guardian or with a signed consent form. Flu vaccine clinics held at high schools in the past had low student attendance, Osborne said, which is why the clinics will only travel to preschool, elementary and middle schools.
“At this time the school-based seasonal flu clinics are not held at high schools,” Osborne said. “We have included all high schools in a vaccination clinic in the past and saw a significantly lower participation rate with this age group as compared with the younger grade levels. Therefore, it was a decision by CPS and the Health Department to make sure that any student who was not able to receive the seasonal flu vaccine at school would be able to receive the vaccination free at the Health Department.”
Nurse Tammy Adkins said although flu shots do not always end up covering the strain of illness which ends up spreading, it is still useful in lowering the period of time during which an individual will remain ill. A faster recovery time is better than nothing, she said.
“The flu shots, … they have certain strains in it,” Adkins said. “Sometimes the strain that gets through that people get isn’t always covered by the flu shot, however, usually the symptoms don’t last as long. So if you didn’t get the flu shot and you get the flu, [you will be sick for] five to seven days at least. If you did get the flu shot, but you still got the flu, [the illness will last] three to five days. It’s just a quicker recovery usually.”
Sophomore Rachel Spollen said she plans on jumping at the opportunity to receive a free flu vaccination. She has experienced influenza in the past, and said she gets an annual flu shot in order to prevent this unnecessary pain and hassle.
“I have [had the flu] several times,” Spollen said. With influenza “you can’t move, you feel icky, you feel like you’re going to be sick and you have a really high fever. I think I will take advantage of the free flu shots because that way my parents won’t have to pay.”
Receiving a yearly flu shot is in the best interest of most individuals, Adkins said. Coming down with influenza can not only result in misery and additional illnesses, but can hinder students’ academic success by keeping them home from school for an extended period of time, she said.
“If you get the flu, you’re pretty much out at least a week of school,” Adkins said. “Not to mention, then you’re at risk for secondary infections a lot of times that come from the flu [like] sinus infections, pneumonia, those kinds of things. Getting influenza can lay you flat, and in high school, missing that much school can be pretty detrimental.”
Osborne said that getting the flu can not only be painful and inconvenient, but also fatal. She offers up a reminder that like any deadly disease, it should be taken seriously and students should take measures to preserve their own health and the health of their peers.
“Thousands of people die each year from influenza,” Osborne said. “Influenza is not something to be taken lightly as it can make a person very ill. Getting your flu vaccine is one way to protect yourself and others around you.”
By Anna Wright