The person sitting next to you in the computer lab coughing allover the monitor or into their hands and then tapping away at thekeyboard, a pile of used tissue balled in a pile next to them,might be sharing something with you that you don't want.
The intimacy of college life makes for fertile ground for badbugs like influenza -- better known as the flu -- pneumonia andmeningitis. To help people avoid succumbing to these contagiousdiseases, The Shot Nurse Immunization & Wellness Service, aMemphis-based traveling immunization service, is on The Universityof Memphis campus offering vaccinations this month.
The flu, caused by the influenza virus, is spread when a personwho has the virus coughs, sneezes or speaks and sends the virusinto the air, and other people inhale the virus, said StacieHubbard, the registered nurse administering the shots.
"The flu is easy to catch. If a person touches a door handle orkeyboard that has the virus on it and later touches their nose ormouth, they could catch it," Hubbard said.
The flu usually comes on fast, Hubbard said, and can berecognized by fever, headache, tiredness, dry cough, sore throat,nasal congestion and body aches.
Flu season usually peaks between late December and early March,but it's better to get immunized early to stay ahead of thecurve.
"The best way to fight the flu is to get a flu shot before fluseason," Hubbard said.
For many people, getting a flu shot has become a part of theirannual medical routine, like going to the dentist for acleaning.
"I get a flu shot every year and I haven't gotten sick yet,"said U of M freshman Anquanita Adams.
Because it is caused by a virus, antibiotics do not work againstthe flu and only lend to another growing health problem, antibioticresistant infections, Hubbard said.
Vaccination for meningitis is also being offered by The U ofM.
Meningitis is a potentially deadly bacterial infection of themembranes around the brain and spinal cord. Cases of meningitishave increased drastically in the country over the past five years,especially in dormitory communities.
Due to the outbreaks, several states, including Tennessee, haveproduced some type of legislation addressing meningitisvaccinations, Hubbard said.
"People really need to take this seriously. It's a killer,"Hubbard said, 'Ten percent of the cases die, and another tenpercent end up with serious injuries ranging from loss of limb topermanent brain damage."
However, meningitis is not as contagious as the flu. It isspread by direct close contact like kissing or sharing utensils,Hubbard said.
"Of course, some people just really hate to get shots, and Iunderstand that. I'm a nurse, and I don't like them," Hubbard said."The benefit of a little stick in some cases can be the differencebetween life and death."
The shot was painless, said Margie Milici of the Registrar'sOffice.
"It was too fast to hurt," Milici said.
The Shot Nurse, which also offers tetanus, MMR and B12 shots,will be on campus Oct. 7, 20, 21, 27 and 28. For more information,contact The Shot Nurse at 685-9999.
