Contact: Maggie Harris
STARKVILLE, Miss.--In addition to a return to football, fall brings with it a return of the risks associated with seasonal flu. Common-sense precautions such as hand-washing go a long way toward protecting against the flu, but almost everyone can benefit from a flu vaccination, according to a Mississippi State University physician.
"It is best to get a flu shot from mid-October to early December," said Dr. Robert K. Collins, director of University Health Services. "Timing is important because the flu often spreads from the early part of December into January and February."
A highly contagious respiratory disease, the flu travels quickly in large populations. A college campus, for instance, is the perfect place for the flu to spread. Mississippi State traditionally offers flu clinics during October and November to provide a convenient way for faculty, staff, and students to be vaccinated.
"Certain high-risk populations should always get a flu shot," Collins noted, citing the elderly, the very young, those with compromised immune systems, or those who are pregnant.
Other flu facts:
--A flu shot does not make one sick. Typically, the only side effect is a sore arm.
--Because there are multiple strains of the flu virus, it is possible to contract the illness more than once during flu season.
-- Even healthy people benefit from vaccination, since recovery from the flu often is hastened.
--Because the flu vaccine is derived from eggs, those who are allergic to eggs should not be vaccinated.
--For more detailed information about the flu, symptoms and possible complications, see http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/. For more information about flu clinics scheduled at MSU, see http://www.health.msstate.edu/.