Juliane Sunshine/ Contributing Writer
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a contagious illness that infects the nose, lungs and throat. The effects of the flu varies by person however, children, the elderly and individuals with compromised immune systems can suffer the extreme reaction to the flu, which is death.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu can happen year-round, but peak season is fall and winter — or October and April. The contagious illness is easily spread through droplets from sneezing or talking.
Symptoms such as coughing, fever, body aches and chills, fatigue, sore throat and sometimes vomiting, may be passed onto someone else even before an individual is even diagnosed with the flu.
The virus can live in the body undetected as it can take five to seven days for the virus to fully show symptoms. Preventable measures have been set in place to ward off the flu, namely washing your hands and staying away from people who are sick.
The most common and recommend method, according to the CDC, is the flu vaccine, available on both campuses at the University.
Freshman criminal justice major, Melisse Munoz, had once gotten the flu virus before receiving the flu shot and now gets the shot each year.
“I always get the flu shot every year, I think it’s better to be safer than sorry. I have gotten the flu before, but ever since getting the flu shot, I haven’t gotten the flu,” Munoz said.
While negative side effects can happen with the flu, the CDC states that you cannot get the flu from the vaccine.
“I have never gotten a negative side effect but other people have, I heard, and my sister actually ended up getting really sick from it. I guess she got sick because the whole system of that shot is that they inject the virus into you to build the antibody and she got sick from it. Now she doesn’t get the flu shot anymore because she’s scared,” Munoz said.
The flu vaccine causes antibodies to develop two weeks after the injection and provides protection from the flu. However, the vaccine is not a guarantee.
“I just have never really gotten around to getting the flu shot, but I wouldn’t consider getting one now because I have never received a flu shot before or really ever had the flu,” said freshman computer science major Christopher Ingham. “I feel like if I get it, I would just be putting the virus in my system.”
Not everyone qualifies for the flu shot; the CDC recommends speaking with your healthcare provider to see if the vaccine is right for you. Allergies to the components in the shot, age and current health standing are all factors that will be determined before receiving the vaccine.
“I feel like there is(sic) so many people sick nowadays and everybody’s germs is out there. I don’t know. I would rather myself be safe than sorry,” Munoz said.
FIU is offering the flu shot now at the Modesto Maidique Campus and The Biscayne Bay Campus. For questions or concerns about the shot, contact Student Health Services: 305-348-2401 (MMC) or 305-919-5620 (BBC).
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