The Residence Survival Guide Part Seven: The Flu Shot

"The Residence Survival Guide Part Seven: The Flu Shot", November 2007.

In case you did not get the post-Welcome Week death cold (although I suppose that was more of a rep thing…), you are probably well-aware that sicknesses pass through residences at a somewhat alarming rate. And with the sickness season on the horizon, I have a suggestion for you: get your flu shot! The dates of the flu shot are november 20th and 21st.

Now, I know there is a lot of debate surrounding influenza and the flu shot, but here are the facts (from the Centre for Disease Control and Campus Health):

The Sickness:
- the course of illness lasts anywhere from two to seven days, and can include hospitalization in some cases
- infection is spread from respiratory droplets via coughing, sneezing or talking by infected persons
- it can also be spread by fomites such as toys, telephones, dishes, bathroom mirrors and unwashed hands
- you can’t get the flu from being poorly dressed in cold weather

The Shot:
- provided free of charge by the Ontario Government
- Campus Health has a clinic sometime in November (date TBA)
- it is made of an inactive (dead) virus; thus YOU CAN’T GET THE FLU FROM A FLU SHOT
- it is composed of at least one version of all of the kinds of flu virus (yes, there are more than one kind)
- each year the vaccine changes, based on the projection of which strains will circulate that year
- about two weeks after being vaccinated, you will have the antibodies in your body which will fight the virus
- flu season lasts from approximately November to March, and the best time to get vaccinated is in October or November
- testing has proved the vaccine is effective in preventing the flu

I’ve seen the flu go through res. It’s not a pretty picture. So get your flu shot.