With the onset of flu season, members of the UNC community should get their flu shot.
Ideally, everyone would receive the flu vaccination. However, it is particularly important that those at a high risk of having serious flu-related complications and those that interact with people at high risk for flu-related complications receive the vaccination.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu outbreaks can occur as early as October and typically peak in January or later.
The outbreak of the seasonal flu is a public health problem, given that the flu is contagious before symptoms develop and even after an individual becomes sick.
The flu can circulate worldwide, affect any age group, and cause severe illnesses and even death.
By getting the flu shot, an individual would be protecting not only himself or herself, but also the people with whom he or she comes into contact.
And as more people within a community receive the flu vaccination, the less flu spreads.
The vaccine works by protecting the individual against the three strains of the influenza virus that research indicates will be the most common during flu season. The vaccine is made up of these three inactivated strains of the virus.
It is very easy to get a flu shot — flu shots are available on campus, at drug stores and at grocery stores in Chapel Hill and the surrounding areas.
