Every year, influenza becomes a large illness that overtakes many people’s health. According the the American Hospital Association, on average, 25 million people get infected with influenza every year. Five to 50,000 people die every year from this illness.
The best way to prevent this: getting your flu shot. Every year, the flu changes and so does the vaccination. The AHA says it takes about two weeks for the vaccination to work in your body. Getting it done early is recommended.
The University Physician on campus offers free flu clinics for faculty and staff. The first one was located in the MSU Main Library.
Kate Comby is a retired librarian from MSU and she still drives to campus to get her flu shot every year.
“It’s been a routine for me for years,” said Comby. She’s been getting her flu shot every year since she was in college. She worked at MSU and came into contact with the illness because she was surrounded by students who were sick.
“Students came in –they had their homework to do; whether they were feeling well or not,” she said.
Carol Piesik is apart of the university physician’s team and was in charge of the flu clinic in the library on October 2, 2017.
“Having the flu clinic on campus makes it easy to our employees to come in and get their shot,” she said. “It’s free and easy to obtain.”
If you are a student at MSU, the cost is $30 for the influenza vaccination through the university physician. You can also go to Olin Health Center and request a flu shot there.