Faculty, staff and students can help protect themselves this flu season with free flu shots on campus Sept. 8 through mid-November.
As part of The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences’ annual flu shot campaign, nurses from University Medical Center, Student Health Center and Pharmacy, and Capstone College of Nursing will administer vaccines at various locations on campus.
Caused by influenza viruses, the flu is a contagious respiratory disease that can cause mild to severe illness, and serious consequences of flu infection can result in hospitalization and at times can even lead to death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An annual flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at high risk for serious complications from the flu, including children younger than 5 years, especially children younger than 2 years, adults 65 years of age and older, pregnant women and women up to two weeks postpartum, people with certain chronic health conditions, and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Dr. Richard Friend, dean of CCHS and a family medicine physician, encourages people to get the flu vaccine every year.
“Flu is ramping up, making us suspect that this year will be another active flu season,” Friend said.
The quadrivalent flu shots are free to students, faculty, staff and spouses. In addition to the pop-up clinics on campus, students can visit the Student Health Center and Pharmacy and UA employees can visit the Faculty-Staff Clinic at UMC to get their free flu shots.
Vaccinations are also available to dependents of UA employees. Children of employees with UA health insurance can receive flu vaccinations at UMC, and children of employees with non-UA health insurance can also receive flu shots at UMC if their insurance has approved nurse practitioner coverage.
A complete list of flu shot times and locations is available on the CCHS website.
Flu Shot Campaign
Sept. 8 – mid-November
Various Locations
Find dates and details on the CCHS website
Contact
Kandis Synder, UA College of Community Health Sciences, kasnyder2@ua.edu