SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2015
FLU BLUES
The vaccine is an inactive virus in a synthetic egg white
solution that helps build antibodies. Experts say October
is a good time to get immunized for the winter illness.
By Arleeny Escarcega, Nancy Vargas and Josh Fuentes
With upcoming midterms and finals,
many students are not taking the necessary steps to prevent coming down
with the flu.
An informal poll of Santa Ana College
students showed that 50 percent
believe the flu shot is beneficial. Still,
more than half said they would not get
the vaccine.
“If you take care of yourself, I think
your immune system is strong enough
to help you out,” SAC student William
Rubacalva said.
In his psychology 101 class, professor
Ricardo Castillo informed students of
the high correlation between stress
and low immune system levels,
especially during midterms and finals.
Venecia Lopez, an 18-year-old student, said people who think they have
strong immune systems will just wait.
But waiting and risking absences
during finals is not a smart option.
The flu can lead to bronchitis if
ignored. Students often don’t treat it
because they think it will go away on
its own, but they could end up with
pneumonia, Billie Ganong, a registered
nurse at Santa Ana College, said.
According to researchers at the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the flu vaccine generally
protects against three or four of the
most common types of flu that go
around each season.
The Health and Wellness Center
accepts walk-ins for flu shots, which are
available for students who have paid
the health fee. The shots only cost $15.
An informal poll of SAC students
showed that 83 percent had already
paid their health fee but haven’t taken
advantage of its benefits.
With the health fee, students can see
registered nurses, physicians and mental health care providers.
Sometimes it isn’t clear if you have
the flu, and some people do not know
the difference between the common
cold and influenza.
With a cold, people rarely experience a fever or headache, according
to the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases.
A common misconception many
have is that flu shots cause influenza.
In reality, the shot is an inactive virus
inside a synthetic egg-white solution
that helps build antibodies.
If students have egg allergies, it is
important that they let a nurse or doctor know.
In some cases, those who were vaccinated and still became sick had already
been exposed to the virus.
A flu shot takes about two weeks to
build antibodies.
Since influenza is a cold-weather
illness, October is a good time to get
vaccinated.
“Not everybody gets it, but everybody needs the flu shot,” Ganong said.
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PAGE DESIGN AND ART BY KARLA ORNELAS / el Don
10 LIFESTYLE