To the Editor:

A vast amount of college students believes they do not need a flu shot. They believe they are healthy enough to not need them. Others believe that the shot will give them the flu. Some just do not think it is beneficial. These are misconceptions.

The flu shot protects against the influenza virus. There are different vaccines every year to help combat against the most prevalent strains that particular year. The flu is an airborne virus that can be transmitted through coughing, sneezing, bodily fluids, as well as fomites (inanimate objects harboring the virus).

College campuses are virus and bacteria breading grounds. They can spread like wildfires in confined spaces where there are many people such as dorm buildings. The more people a person comes in contact with the more the virus spreads. Therefore, the flu can spread quickly on campus. Therefore, you should get your shot to protect you.

Many people turn to the internet for the answer on whether or not they should receive a flu shot. However, some people do find helpful information such as Harvard Health Publications a blog from Harvard medical school. In this blog post the author discusses how getting your flu shot can not only protect you from the flu but also pneumonia. Although thought to be solely bacterial pneumonia can be contracted through viruses and fungi. The flu increases your risk of pneumonia which causes more hospitalizations than the regular flu. Getting your flu shot can combat this (Harvard Health Publications).

There are two different ways to receive the flu vaccine. The most common way is through the shot, an injection in the upper arm. Most people get the standard trivalent vaccine. The shot contains inactive or dead viruses. These cannot cause the flu. There are possible side effects such as redness at injection site and mild cold symptoms due to your body’s immune response. The other way to receive the flu vaccine is through the flu mist. The flu mist is an intranasal vaccine that contains weakened live viruses. The flu mist is not recommended for the 2016-2017 flu seasons. However, research shows that the flu mist is not as effective as the flu shot.

An interesting study helped show how long the immune response for the vaccine can last. When the body receives a vaccine its immune system targets the foreign antibodies and attacks it, creating memory B cells which remember the foreign antibodies, immediately triggering an immune response anytime it sees these antibodies. This study was done to show if people who were vaccinated for the 1976 swine flu had increased protection against the 2009 outbreak. The results of blood tests showed that they did have a higher immune response. Therefore, you should get your flu shot to help protect you in the future as well (McCullers et al 2010).

SUNY Potsdam holds flu shot clinics as well as appointments at student health services for free flu shots. All students should receive flu shots if possible. There are exceptions that may not allow the administration of the flu shot. You should not receive the flu shot if you are sick. If you are allergic to eggs you should receive the shot in a trained medical facility in case of allergic reactions.

It takes two weeks for the vaccination to take full effect. You should take all precautionary measures within that time to stay healthy and protected.

Darien Frederick

SUNY Potsdam student