The Health and Wellness Center is busy preparing for this years’ up and coming flu season. These preparations will not only help the Health and Wellness Center, but also the entirety of the student body.
“We are getting a lower and lower percentage of students getting the flu,” said Patti Wagner, a registered nurse who has worked with Longwood for ten years. “Last year alone, approximately just around twenty students came in with the flu reported at the Health and Wellness Center.”
Flu shots will be available at the Health and Wellness Center for students, but Wagner urges students to receive their vaccines sooner rather than later. “We try to get a herd immunity, which is group immunity.” According to Longwood’s Health and Wellness Center website, the flu vaccine is free of charge at the Health and Wellness Center for anyone who would like to receive the vaccination.
The flu vaccinations are open to anyone in all residence areas, and the student union. Beginning on Oct. 21, flu shots will be given out in the commuter lounge, then Lancer Park starting in the afternoon, and then Curry and Frazer in the late afternoon.
Next Monday, Oct. 27, the Health and Wellness Center will be in the student union from 11:30 to 1:00pm, and again on Nov. 3 for flu shots. Then Tuesday, Oct. 28 they will be in the Landings in the afternoon. Finally, on Nov. 6, flu shots may be given in Cox and Wheeler in the afternoon.
Students are treated for the flu at the Health and Wellness Center, depending on how long they’ve had flu-like symptoms. “If they have had it for less than 48 hours, then we can give them Tamiflu, which is an antiviral for the flu,” said Wagner. If the student misses the 48 hour window, the symptoms may be treated by ibuprofen, Tylenol, cough medicine, etc.
“Nine out of ten [times] if you get the flu you are out of class for [at least] a week, then you have to make up all that work. If you get the shot you can protect yourself and others from getting sick and missing class,” said Wagner. Also, if you get the shot you are protecting those who cannot get the shot, such as those with chronic illness, who are allergic to the vaccine.
If a student or faculty member is unable to get their flu vaccination at the Health and Wellness Center on campus, the Prince Edward County Health Department distributes them as well. They have both the flu shot and the nasal-spray. Some students get the vaccine, others do not, and others get the vaccine for a few years then stop. However, no matter what precautions you take there is still a chance that you can get sick.
The flu is a virus that spreads. It can be prevented and avoided with the help of the vaccine and the helpful tips from the Health Department and the Longwood Health and Wellness Center. If every student takes the time for these precautions, then we can all have a healthy fall season.
