As part of its effort to combat the flu virus this winter, the Dartmouth College Health Service held this year's first influenza vaccination clinic Tuesday in Tindle Lounge. While the clinic was designated for faculty and staff members only, three of the four remaining sessions, to be held over the next several weeks, will offer the vaccine to students.
"At last check we had about 600 employees that had it [yesterday]. We hope that the students will be able to beat the employees and have over 700 students come to get vaccinated on the first day," Director of the College Health Service John Turco said.
The College Health Service expects to have more than enough vaccines on hand to vaccinate all interested students, faculty and employees this flu season because this year marks the first time in three years that there has not been a nationwide flu vaccine shortage. Last year the shortage forced the College Health Service to offer the vaccine to only a limited number of students.
"In the past, Dartmouth has been able to offer flu shots to students and employees. At the present time, shipment of our previously ordered vaccine has been delayed, and we are uncertain that we will get all of the requested vaccine," Turco said in an BlitzMail message to Dartmouth students last fall.
There are currently only four main manufacturers of flu vaccine, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2004, Chiron Corporation, one of the major vaccine manufacturers, shut down its operations due to contamination at its United Kingdom plant. This temporary closing impacted the vaccine's supply into the 2005 season, as many vaccines that year were not delivered early enough to prevent cases of the flu.
This year, considered the 2007 flu season, all four manufactures are producing vaccines on schedule. Dartmouth ordered its vaccines from both Glaxo-Smith Kline and Sanofi Pasteur in an attempt to minimize any possibility of not having enough vaccines on hand.
Turco estimates that a far greater percentage of the Dartmouth population will receive the vaccine than that of the general population.
Over 1,200 people were vaccinated at Dartmouth last year and the College Health Service hopes to vaccinate over 1,500 people this year.
"The trick for us from a financial standpoint is not to buy 5,000 doses and only use 2,000. We've ordered a generous amount that we think is enough for students, faculty and employees," Turco said.
In its annual guidelines, the CDC recommends that college students who live in close proximity to each other receive the flu vaccination. While the CDC has released yearly flu vaccination advisories for certain groups in the population for many years, college students have not always been included on this list.
Over the past several years, efforts to vaccinate students, and thus reduce flu-related disruptions to classes and campus life, have increased. The flu's symptoms -- headaches, fever, nausea, fatigue, sore throat, cough and muscle aches -- often cause students to miss class and fall behind on schoolwork. While college students are not likely to die from the flu, they are more likely to contract it than most people.
By administering vaccines to as many faculty, staff and students at the College as possible, the Dartmouth Health Service hopes to protect the entire community, even those who are not vaccinated.
"The more people you can get vaccinated, the better off the campus will be. If you can get 60 to 70 percent of the campus vaccinated, you've eliminated a lot of the people who would help an outbreak to keep going," Turco said.
Turco emphasized that keeping the campus healthy as a whole is the job of each and every student.
"If we individually and collectively practice good hygiene, get flu shots when available, and take care of ourselves when illness occurs, we can minimize the chances that an upper respiratory viral outbreak will occur at Dartmouth this winter," Turco said.
Some students have been reluctant to get flu shots for various reasons ranging from fear of needles to concerns that the vaccine could actually cause the flu.
"It's not an active live vaccine. You can sometimes get a little bit of a fever, but the more likely thing is that you're going to have a small local reaction," Turco said.
Many students said they will receive the free flu shot.
"I am so busy during the term I can't afford to get sick and fall behind in my classes, so not getting a flu shot is not really an option. Plus I live with 20 other girls so when one person gets sick it spreads quickly," Kristin Lieske '07 said.
Turco said he does not understand why some students choose not take advantage of this free service.
"It's the students who are paying for the vaccines because our budget comes from student tuition. Students should realize they've prepaid for the vaccine and they should get it," Turco said.
There is, however, a possibility that students may contract the flu even after being vaccinated. Each year the CDC makes an educated guess about the three strains of flu most likely surface in the United States and releases vaccines that protect against them. If the CDC guesses right, the vaccine will be very effective.
Students can sign up for an appointment to receive the flu vaccine using the College Health Service website.
