With the Ebola virus making more headlines than the upcoming national election, it’s easy to overlook one of the more dangerous threats to campus health: the flu.
While we don’t know exactly how many people die of the flu in the U.S. each year, data reported by the CDC suggests that thousands of people die from the disease annually.
Compared to the relatively few cases of Ebola in the U.S. thus far, the chances that a USC student will get the flu seems like a much more prescient problem.
Like many diseases, the flu is usually the most dangerous to those who are very young and very old, making the risk of a flu outbreak to college students less dire than one at your average bingo parlor.
Nevertheless, the fact is that the flu, given the right circumstances, can put anyone out of action for a few weeks.
It doesn’t matter how burly your immune system is, if a particularly aggressive strain of the flu decides to hunker down in your body for a while, that’s exactly what it’s going to do.
The only method of avoiding having an uninvited guest set up shop in your immune system is getting some sort of vaccination before it happens.
Just as any enterprising bar will hire a bouncer to turn away the shady guy wearing a suspiciously long trench coat and shouting at harmless passersby, any thoughtful student will think about getting a flu shot before the tidal wave of sick people come flying back from all parts of the country after fall break.
Yes, it’s annoying. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it probably will cost you come cash. But having a guaranteed method of avoiding what might be a serious illness is worth the while.
(The Thomson Student Health Center is selling individual flu shots for $10 for students, and $20 for students who haven’t paid their Student Health Fee.)
An added bonus: it helps you avoid being the person who gives everyone the flu. (Nobody wants to be that person.)
So, for your social life and your physical health: take the time to get a flu shot.