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The Daily Tar Heel

Get the vaccine

UNC has su?cient supply of H1N1 and seasonal ?u vaccines; University community should take advantage

Apart from its ridiculous nickname, H1N1 isn’t a joke. Neither is the vaccine.

Every flu season has the potential to cause a lot of illness, doctors’ visits, hospitalizations and deaths. The new H1N1 flu virus could result in a particularly severe 2009-10 flu season. Vaccination is the best protection we have against both of these viruses.

The seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 flu vaccine are available on campus now, and it is important for everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to protect themselves and everyone else around them.

The University pre-ordered about 28,000 H1N1 vaccinations for everyone on campus, but turnout has been overwhelmingly low. Just more than 20 percent of the vaccine has been administered.

Students fall into one of the high-risk groups in need of the vaccine. Young adults age 19 to 24 are at high risk for the virus because they often live, study and work very close to one another.

Campus Health Services is offering the H1N1 vaccine for $12 for those without insurance and free for those with select insurance providers. The cost covers the fee to pay for an outside health care agency to provide the staff to administer either the nasal spray or shot.

Laziness is not an excuse for not getting the vaccine. And neither is the political rhetoric that claims falsely that the vaccine is dangerous.

Although H1N1 symptoms continue to decline nationwide, everyone must consider the chance of a third wave of outbreaks in January when students return to campus. The arrival of cold, dry weather will only spread the virus.

It is too early for the University to let its guard down against an illness that has infected at least 22 million and killed nearly 4,000 since April.

The looming threat of a third wave of sickness should only encourage everyone to get vaccinated.

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