Student Health Center Director James Turner said in February there was a notable increase in the number of flu cases, from 200 in the 1997-1998 season to 700 cases last season. Whether this upcoming flu season will bring a further increase in flu cases may depend on the number of flu vaccines given to students and the effectiveness of the 1999-2000 flu vaccine in defending against prevalent flu strains.
"The components of the flu vaccine are decided in a process that the CDC [Center for Disease Control] helps organize and the vaccine decision has to be made about six months in advance of when the vaccine is actually distributed," said Dr. Frederick Hayden, University professor of medicine and pathology.
The effectiveness of the vaccine depends on whether any new influenza viral strains appear between the time the vaccine is formulated and the time it is given to patients, Hayden said.
"Ninety percent of the time, the CDC does an excellent job of gauging what the likely surfacing strain will be," he added.
Last year Student Health reported that only 11 vaccinated students contracted the flu.
"The vaccine is 80 to 85 percent effective, so there will be students who get the flu regardless of whether or not they're vaccinated," said Sandy Murray, nursing supervisor at Student Health. "However, if you've gotten the vaccine, your symptoms will be a little bit milder and the flu will not last as long, so it is still a good idea to get the vaccine."
Many students appear to be taking this advice to heart. Last Tuesday, 2,081 students received the vaccine as part of a large-scale vaccination program by Student Health.
Turner said the goal is to immunize between 3,000 and 4,000 students. This would be a major increase from last year's 1,900 vaccinations.
The increase in vaccinations this year is being accomplished through the employment of the private company VACCESShealth, which provides the equipment and manpower to provide the vaccine to large numbers of students.
The increased numbers of flu vaccinations may decrease the number of flu cases contracted by students each year, said David Gottlieb, Director of Marketing for VACCESShealth.
"By immunizing a certain proportion of the campus population, then hopefully more students will be protected who do not actually get immunized," Gottlieb said.
Despite the vaccine's benefits, there are some common misconceptions that may deter students from receiving it. One incorrect assumption is that the vaccine can cause the flu.
"The flu vaccine may make you feel a little under the weather as your body is building up antibodies," Murray said. "But because it uses killed viral particles, it cannot cause the flu."
Students should understand that while the vaccine can prevent infection by the infuenza virus, the vaccine is not effective against all types of viral infections.
"It is important for people to realize that they will not be protected from every viral respiratory infection that comes down the line," Turner said.
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