Wednesday's damp, chilly weather was a hint of the approaching winter and its corresponding flu season.
UF's Student Health Care Center and the Healthy Gator 2010 Coalition announced in a news release Wednesday that they are launching a fall campaign to prevent the spread of infectious diseases on campus.
Both organizations are urging students to receive vaccinations for influenza and meningococcal meningitis, which can spread easily among college students facing crowded classes, shared living spaces and a hectic lifestyle.
Students can get flu shots, which help build immune system protection prior to flu season, for ,5 at SHCC, while faculty and staff will have to shell out ,25.
Those who have not been vaccinated for meningitis are also encouraged to spend ,126 for a vaccine called Menactra that decreases but does not eliminate the risk of infection.
Though the vaccine is mandatory for new students prior to registration, they can waive the prerequisite after reading about the disease and vaccination.
Meningococcal meningitis can quickly lead to swelling in the brain, coma and death.
University of South Florida student Rachel Futterman, 19, died from meningitis Sept. 24, and a nursing student from the University of Central Florida is now hospitalized with the disease.
"The importance of vaccination in the prevention of meningococcal disease and influenza cannot be overemphasized," said Dr. Phil Barkley, center director, in the release.
"In combination with a common-sense approach to the prevention of common upper respiratory illnesses, the morbidity and mortality due to these diseases can be reduced," Barkley said.
