J325 Assignment II- Dr. Moore's class

Michael Wunderlich
Dr. Moore
Journalism 325
11/07/08
News Story #2-Campus Health & Flu Season
As November settles in and the weather becomes ever cooler in the city of Columbia, students aren’t only focused on breaking out the thermal socks, sweatpants and scarves.
Along with the cooler weather comes the susceptibility among students to contract contagious illnesses, or to put it bluntly, flu season has unofficially arrived.
The month of November sees Columbia average temperature lows around 43 degrees Fahrenheit, continuing a descent into colder weather that lasts through February, providing ample opportunity for the common cold to become more than a nuisance to USC students.
With so many of Carolina students living on campus, the close quarters living conditions come into a closer focus as the temperatures drop.
“I’ve heard a lot of people getting strep throat,” said Chris Clarke, a second year Mechanical Engineering major living in Bates West. “Sometimes I’ll get a cold but it usually goes away on its own. Last year I got a sinus infection.”
Despite the rise of these common maladies, Lauren Vincent, the Public Relations and Quality Improvement Coordinator for Student Health Services on campus reports that at least 75% of students opt not to get the flu shot that’s offered at the Thomson Student Health Center.
“25.8% of USC students reported getting vaccinated last year,” said Vincent. The shot itself costs 15 dollars for students and 20 dollars for faculty, staff, and their spouses.
The three main viruses the shot protects against for the 2008-2009 flu season are A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1), A/Brisbane/10/2007(H3N2), and B/Florida/4/2006, all three of which are influenza virus strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season.
Vincent also noted that flu season really doesn’t get into full swing until the beginning of the new calendar year.
“The peak of flu season is actually in January,” said Vincent.
The large percentage of students who don’t receive the on campus flu shot from the Student Health Center may not necessarily be a telling statistic overall though, as a number of students opt to receive vaccinations from their local physicians.
“A family friend owns her own medical supply business, she used to be a nurse and we all get free flu shots every Thanksgiving,” Clarke continued. “It’s an awesome deal.”
Still, others are taking their own preventative measures to combat the spread of diseases this fall and into the winter months literally into their own hands.
“Getting my flu shot yea, but making sure to wash my hands, a lot,” said sophomore Natalie Rosenblum.
Vincent advocated the same course of action for students, advising, “Obviously the flu shot is the most effective… but good hygiene and washing your hands are important as well.”
Vincent also stressed that college students bet mindful of their surroundings, noting that contagious diseases don’t immediately die.
“A virus can last two to eight hours,” she continued. “Hand sanitation is a big factor.”
While there are those students that actually do receive the flu vaccination on campus as well as those who travel home to their local doctors, Vincent reports that one out of three college students still believe the flu can be contracted by receiving a flu shot.
Vincent suggested those who feared contracting the flu from the flu shot to try using an alternate medical treatment called the FluMist, a nasal mist that is administered through the nose where the virus usually enters the body.
FluMist is actually a weakened live virus vaccine, having been made from a live virus designed so as not to cause the flu and has been recommended for people from ages elementary school age to age 49.
Aside from benefiting student’s own personal health, Vincent reasoned that getting either the FluMist or a shot would be beneficial to a student’s family.
“Students may want to protect their family from diseases they bring home from school during winter break,” she said.
Students can track flu season on CDC.gov/flu and send confirmed cases of the flu to the Department of Health and Environmental Control for evaluation.
Above all measures taken by students this flu season, Vincent remains vigilant about one point to increase student health, emphasizing to students, “Wash your hands!”

Blog link:

http://michaelwunderlich.blogspot.com/