Mark Vidal
Arts Editor
Spring semester – cold and rainy such as it is – has started in the midst of what is shaping up to be a nasty cold and flu season.
And if this year is anything like last year, we are not yet past the worst of it.
According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Last winter influenza struck colleges and universities with unexpected severity.”
Some colleges even reported running out of the flu vaccination because the demand was so great.
Though no serious cases of flu escalation have been reported in the West so far this year, it is too soon for people to let their guards down.
Cindy Denne, director of student health services, encourages students planning to get vaccinated to do so sooner rather than later.
“Once you have the flu, it is too late,” Denne said.
While densely populated communities are at greater risk for wide-spread infection, students cannot rule out the possibility of the flu spreading at the University of La Verne, as getting infected with influenza is not difficult.
According to the CDC, influenza is easily spread when “droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled through the air and deposited on the mouth or nose of people nearby.”
In other words the flu is highly contagious and a simple sneeze could lead to serious illness.
Still, some students do not see the need for a flu vaccination.
“I don’t really get sick too often, so I don’t see a reason for a shot,” Jordan Skylar, a junior theater major said.
Many students dismiss the flu virus as simply another “cold,” but the CDC reports that approximately 36,000 people are killed annually by flu-related complications.
Another 200,000 are hospitalized.
“Only a handful of students have requested the vaccination this year,” Denne said.
The student health center began offering flu shots last semester for $14, which is the only out-of-pocket expense for the visit.
Still some students prefer alternative methods of treatment.
“I prefer natural remedies to combat the flu,” Oscar Bauman, Glendora High School senior, said.
Those who prefer modern Western medicine, but get queasy at the sight of needles might opt for a nasal spray, which is proven to be just as safe and effective as the shot.
Many students are not aware of the services offered by the student health center or that undergraduate tuition entitles students to free medical service including immunizations, laboratory testing, access to antibiotics and more.
“Our medical practitioners offer an assessment of symptoms just like a normal family doctor’s office would,” Denne said.
The student health center is located at 2147 E. St. just east of Leo’s Den. It is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.
For more information or to request a vaccination, call 909-593-3511 ext. 4254.
Mark Vidal can be reached at mark.vidal@laverne.edu.
