As we enter these last few weeks of the semester, we all have myriad tasks and assignments to worry about: final exams to study for, group projects to pull together at the last minute, and possibly catching up on homework that we’ve put off for most of the semester. But one concern that should stay at the top of everyone’s priority list is personal health, and there’s one health-related issue specifically that everyone should be paying attention to: the flu.

Taking a few minutes of your time for something as simple as a flu shot will not only keep your roommate happy, but also saves lives. There may not be a statistic like the blood drive’s “give blood and save three lives,” but each year the Centers for Disease Control estimates more than 20,000 Americans die from the flu, more than 90 percent of whom are children or people 65 years and older. More than 100,000 are hospitalized. The flu is the leading cause of death for infectious diseases in the United States and can lead to other dangerous diseases such as pneumonia.

Even with the overwhelming benefits — to you personally and to society — that the flu vaccine provides, there are still myths that perpetuate a negative stigma for the vaccine; however, the largest myth that I continue to encounter is that flu shots can have the influenza virus itself as a side effect. An inactivated (killed) version of the virus is injected into the body; therefore, any symptoms experienced are immune system responses to the virus, not symptoms of the virus itself.

The Thielen Student Health Center offers flu shots for $20 as opposed to $25 at Walmart. The flu mist is also offered for $25 as an alternative. You can stop by the health center Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m., or you can schedule an appointment.

Please use this as an opportunity to directly protect yourself and those around you from sleepless nights of sneezing, coughing and throwing up — and even trips to the hospital. As you consider whether to get vaccinated, think of your grandparents, great-grandparents or any young siblings you may have, and what your life would be like without them. Getting the flu shot can prevent this situation for you and those around you — a simple decision with a powerful impact.