SRU community urged to get flu shots
Slippery Rock University Interim President Philip Way receives a flu shot from Angela Combine-Santis, doctor of pharmacy, at Giant Eagle. Photo by Benton Palermo, a senior communication: digital media major from Beaver.
Sept. 26, 2017
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Stop me if you've heard these warnings before: "stay home if you're sick;" "cover your mouth when you cough and your nose when you sneeze;" "wash your hands;" and "get plenty of rest."
For decades, these have been the battle cries of moms and healthcare professionals alike at the onset of the cold and flu season. And while they remain steadfast warnings today according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they often arrive after a person has caught some sort of "bug."
Enter Kris Benkeser, Slippery Rock University's director of student health and wellness, who champions what she terms "the single best way to prevent seasonal flu" - get a flu shot.
"For the uninitiated, the down and dirty on the flu is this: it's a respiratory spread illness; it's highly transmittable; and it is easily preventable with a flu shot," said Benkeser. "I don't know why anyone with an I.Q. higher than a squirrel wouldn't get a flu shot. Let's be real, the flu is icky ... it makes you feel like you've been run over by a truck and will lay you out for four to five days. It is absolutely horrible.
"If you're a student and you get the flu, at a minimum, you're probably missing a week of class, which will put you far behind where the rest of class is in terms of learning along with being straddled with this horrible crud, is not good. On top of that, when you have the flu, you are actively shedding the flu virus for 24-48 hours before you feel sick, so your friends can thank you for that later as well."
And, with a campus that plays host to nearly 9,000 students in addition to hundreds of staff and faculty the opportunity to see the flu spread in exponential terms isn't hard to imagine.
"The flu spreads faster and affects more people in crowded conditions," said Benkeser. "Day care, prisons and college campus are top offenders because you've got lots of people in close proximity and they are all notoriously poor hand washers. Uncovered coughing, sneezing, germy hands are all culprits and the best way to protect yourself is by getting a flu shot which protects you against a variety of strains."
Getting a flu shot couldn't be easier for students, faculty or staff.
While flu shots are readily available to all SRU students through the Student Health Center, Giant Eagle pharmacists will be on campus to administer flu shots to University employees from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sept. 27 in the Smith Student Center Ballroom and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Oct. 17 at the ARC.
Pharmacists from Rite Aid will do likewise from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Oct. 3 in the Smith Student Center, Room 321.
The vaccine is free for employees, spouses and domestic partners with a University insurance plan. No registration is required and participants must present their insurance card. Employees with other non-University insurance plans are welcome, but may be subject to co-pays or co-insurance determined by your particular plan.
But what of the doubters that say flu shots don't work?
"Don't give me that bull," Benkeser said. "The shot works great. It protects you because it introduces the dead flu virus into your body that that your immune system can say, 'Hey wait ... I think I've seen this before ... I know what to do - kill this thing before it makes my person extremely ill.'"
Another oft heard reason for not getting a flu shot according to Benkeser is that "it makes (me) sick."
"That is absolutely impossible," she said. "It's dead virus inside the shot. What happens is flu vaccine triggers your immune system to recognize and attack if it sees the virus again. Yes, there are some that may feel a little rundown or have a runny nose after receiving the shot but that's not the shot making you ill. That's your immune system being activate. If you feel a little under the weather after getting a flu shot, that's a good thing. It means your system is responding to the vaccine.
"I don't know about everyone else, but I'd rather have a runny nose for a day and a little soreness at the injection site than be laid out for a week, wishing for death to step in and end how the flu is making me feel."
Benkeser added that for the majority of the population the flu shot is completely safe. "There are only a handful of people, sometimes those undergoing chemotherapy, certain blood disorders, severe allergy to eggs or have Guillain-Barre syndrome, who should not get the shot," she said.
SRU's HOPE Peer Educators are helping spread the word that everyone on campus needs to be a #FluFighter.
To better help spread the word among students about getting a flu shot, SRU's HOPE (Healthy Outreach Through Peer Education) Peer Educators - who strive to promote student wellness by offering comprehensive health education and advocating for a campus and local community that support student well-being - have launched a social media campaign on their Facebook (sruhope) page and Twitter (@SRUPeers) feed.
"(HOPE Peer Educators) will be campaigning hard to spread the word about getting a flu shot and thought coming up with a hashtag and creating a social media contest might help shed some additional light on the efforts," said Vanessa Vought, SHS health educator.
To that end, when students get a flu shot at the Student Health Center, they will receive a Band-Aid featuring characters from the "Star Wars," "Finding Dory" and "Despicable Me" movies.
"After students get a flu shot, we're asking them to post a selfie showing off their Band-Aid using #SRUfightstheflu or #FluFighters, which will accomplish two things; one, help spread the word among their peers about flu shots; and two, enter them into our contest to win a variety of prizes," Vought said.
MEDIA CONTACT: Robb King | 724.738.2199 | robb.king@sru.edu