Iowa State University has already had one documented case of influenza on campus, said Dr. Robyn Engstrom, staff physician at Thielen Student Health Center. She said the October case came well before the average peak time of influenza in January with the first few cases usually appearing in December.

Engstrom said influenza may have an easier time spreading on a college campus than in other communities because of the high concentration of people in small areas like dorm rooms or lecture halls. That, paired with students traveling to their hometowns and bringing back illnesses after breaks, contribute to the spreading of influenza on campus.

“The concern I have and I think the Iowa Department of Public Health has this year is that we’ve seen it so early,” Engstrom said. “In October we saw our first case on campus and it’s confirmed in Iowa…so there’s concern that this is going to be a really bad flu year.”

With influenza already detected at Iowa State, and with college campuses creating an environment that is easy to spread the illness, it is important that those in this community take steps to fight the deadly disease. A significant part of preventing influenza is the flu vaccine.

While we understand some arguments against the flu vaccine, we believe that the benefits to taking this step in preventing the dangerous virus outweighs the risks, especially on a college campus.

First, it is important to explain influenza and what the vaccine actually works to prevent. Engstrom said many people mistake a 24-hour stomach flu for influenza. However, influenza is an upper respiratory virus unlike the stomach flu. Influenza can last anywhere from 10 days to a month and cause fever, headaches, chills and coughing.

The flu vaccine that Thielen distributes this year protects against four strains including H1N1 and other strains the World Health Organization believes will be the most common this season.

The flu shot contains a dead virus which the body to builds up antibodies. The flu mist contains a weakened virus and can only cause influenza in temperatures cooler than an internal body temperature, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website. When a vaccinated immune system is faced with the real influenza virus, it will be better prepared to fight it off.

Proponents of the flu vaccine say that those who receive the vaccine can feel ill after. While it is impossible to get the flu from a flu vaccine, recipients can still feel achy after the shot or have a runny nose after the mist. A small number can even be allergic to the vaccine.

Proponents of the vaccine also say it is not 100 percent accurate. Those who receive it may still catch a strain they were vaccinated against. Also, the vaccine strain that someone was given may not be the particular strain that’s going around during that season.

However, Engstrom said it tends to be much more mild for those who catch a strain of the flu they were vaccinated against. Engstrom also said the World Health Organization is “typically right on target” with the strains it chooses to include in the flu vaccines each year.

Despite concerns about the flu vaccine, we believe the benefits of the vaccine are necessary, especially on a college campus that expects a bad flu season. According to the CDC website, flu-associated deaths in a 30-year period ranged from a low of 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 in a given year.

Engstrom said those who do not die from a severe case can be hospitalized and even placed on a ventilator due to respiratory complications. Even in less severe cases, it can take those infected up to 30 days to be healthy again.

For college students, H1N1 can be especially dangerous. During the most severe outbreak, H1N1 affected young adults the most, with some being hospitalized because of or even suffering death due to the virus. This year’s vaccine protects against that type of flu.

“People don’t get influenza very often, but if you’ve ever got it, you never want to get it again because it’s absolutely miserable,” Engstrom said. “Sometimes people miss a couple weeks of class, 30 days, a month or so to get your full strength back. Oh yeah, it’s awful.”