With the flu season around the corner, Goddard Health Center is ready to administer vaccines.

This week, Goddard is helping students be proactive rather than reactive. The center will offer a free influenza vaccination clinic to OU students starting Monday. Students can visit the clinic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. No appointments are required.

Faculty, staff and their dependents will have to pay $15 for the vaccination. The shots will be offered until supplies run out.

Mark McCraw, Goddard clinic manager, said some students should talk with their doctor before getting the vaccination. For the students' protection, they will be required to answer a few medical questions before receiving the vaccination.

Students who are allergic to eggs and/or latex rubber, are pregnant, have a history of central nervous system disease, convulsions, seizures or Guillain-Barre syndrome, have recently taken cortisone or steroid drugs or who are allergic to any medicine, need to talk with their doctor to see if the vaccination is right for them, McCraw said.

"Getting the flu vaccination is not a guarantee that you will never get the flu," McCraw said. "If you get the shot and still contract influenza, then your symptoms will not be as severe, and you should feel better much faster."

Influenza viruses change often, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Therefore, the flu vaccine is updated each year.

Years ago, the influenza vaccine contained live viruses that gave people a strain of the flu. The presence of influenza helped build up people's antibodies, thus helping their immune system fight the virus. Today, the viruses in the vaccine have been killed, so people cannot get influenza from the vaccine. The vaccine still helps to prevent the flu, but does not give people flu-like symptoms.

"You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine," McCraw said. "The virus is dead in the vaccine."

Serious problems from the vaccine are extremely rare, according to the CDC. Problems, if any, are usually allergic reactions, such as soreness, redness, swelling where the shot was given, fever and aches. If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after receiving the vaccination and last only one to two days.

The best time to get a flu shot is in October or November, McCraw said. The flew season tends to peak between January and March. According to the CDC, protection develops about two weeks after getting the shot and may last up to one year.

McCraw stressed the importance of students getting immunized before the Thanksgiving break. He said some areas have their flu season earlier than Oklahoma. Students do not need to wait until Oklahoma's flu season starts to be immunized, McCraw said.

The CDC encourages people who live in dorms or other crowded areas to be vaccinated, to help prevent outbreaks. Symptoms of influenza are: fever, sore throat, chills, cough, headache and muscle aches.

McCraw said that patients who are afraid of needles need to tell the nurse administering the shot. He said they will be given the vaccination lying down, in case they feel the need to faint.

DETAILS

Event:

Flu vaccinations

When:

Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Where:

Goddard Health Center
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