Morgan Conn doesn't get an annual flu shot because it's not vegan. David Byron said he doesn't get one because he heard it makes you sick. John Richter said he's just lazy.
The UF Student Health Care Center is working to put student concerns and misconceptions to rest with the annual flu shot campaign next Monday.
From Monday on, students can get free flu shots at the Infirmary and the Student Health Care Center at Shands. Shots will also be offered at campus locations like the Reitz Union Colonnade, the Plaza of the Americas and several residence halls on specific days throughout the next few months. The complete schedule can be viewed at shcc.ufl.edu/services/primary-care/flu. The shots are $20 for faculty, staff and spouses of UF students.
"The flu shot is not only about protecting the person who gets the shot, it's also about protecting everyone around them," said Catherine Seemann, spokeswoman for the UF SHCC. "It's especially important if you're on campus - you have no idea who sat in your desk or chair before you and sneezed all over."
Flu season typically starts in the fall, peaks in January and February and tapers off in the spring, she said.
The vaccine is developed each year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based on research that predicts what three strains of the influenza virus will be most common that upcoming year.
Seemann said one of the most common misconceptions about the shot is that it will make you sick.
The flu shot contains a killed, or inactive, virus. The immune system recognizes the flu strains and creates defenses but does not actually transmit the virus.
It takes the body about two weeks to create the correct defenses after getting the shot. If someone were to be exposed to the virus prior to the shot or during that two-week window, they could still fall ill, she said.
The vaccines have been traditionally produced in chicken eggs - a practice that may concern vegans and people with egg allergies. However, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' website, a new, cell-based method of vaccine production is expected to begin later this year. The batch UF SHCC is using this year was produced in chicken eggs.
The UF SHCC has 5,000 vaccines on hand, Seemann said, and is hoping to order more.
"By getting the shot, you're really doing yourself and the people around you a favor," Seemann said. "Getting that vaccination that takes five minutes and doesn't really hurt too much is the best protection you can have."
Biology major Lily Pham gets a free flu shot from Kelly Mitchell, a RN at the UF Student Health Care Center, on the Reitz Union Colonnade last fall.
