Tufts University Health Service is preparing for the upcoming flu season by setting up flu vaccination clinics in October and early December.
During the clinics, students will be able to go to Health Service and receive their flu shot. The only requirements are a short-sleeve shirt and a Tufts ID, as the student health fee paid at the beginning of the year covers the cost of the vaccine.
More details will be available in upcoming weeks in an e-mail to the student body.
The flu season lasts from November to April. Although the peak of the season "typically hits in January and February," Health Service Medical Director Dr. Margaret Higham said.
She said that her office orders around 1500-1600 doses of the flu vaccine per year, and while that is not enough to vaccinate every student on campus, not all students need to seek immunization.
"College kids are not a high-risk group," Massachusetts Department of Public Health spokeswoman Donna Rheaume said.
Instead, the elderly, very young and people with underlying medical conditions are most in need of a shot.
Rheaume is optimistic about the number of flu vaccines that will be available in Massachusetts this year. The state will provide 700,000 doses of public vaccine, and millions more will be available through private organizations.
This is considered a "record year" for vaccine availability, not only in the state but also throughout the country, Rheaume said.
In Massachusetts, the flu causes around 800 deaths a year; however, most of these occur within high-risk groups. Because thousands of cases go unreported, there is no clear data on the yearly number of flu cases.
"The amount of flu varies greatly from year to year depending on the severity of the strain and just how much flu is circulating in the community," Higham said. The last two years were considered mild flu seasons.
Common symptoms of the flu include aches and pains, fever and coughing. The best treatments for people affected by it are simply bed rest, hydration and anti-inflammatory medicine.
In addition to immunization, simple precautionary measures may be the best means of preventing flu outbreaks.
"Practice good respiratory hygiene," Rheaume said. "Wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough."
Students are also advised to use hand sanitizers, to not share eating utensils and to cough into a sleeve rather than into open air.
Flu vaccines typically have a very high success rate. "The younger and healthier you are, the more effective they are," Rheaume said. The shot is estimated to be 65 to 70 percent effective for people over 65 years, and the prevention rate is much higher among college students.
In comparison to the high efficacy of the flu vaccine, the potential side effects are minimal. Contrary to popular belief, "flu shots don't cause the flu," Rheaume said.
Louise Rice, the senior director of Public Health Nursing at the Cambridge Health Alliance, said that the only common side effect is discomfort.
"Some people will complain about soreness around the site where the shot was given," she said. This discomfort is temporary, however, usually lasting no more than a few days.
Although scientists cannot predict with certainty the strains of the flu virus that will cause the disease each year, they must make an educated guess.
The flu vaccine this season is composed of three strains of the virus: the Solomon Islands, Wisconsin and Malaysia strains.
As a result, Rice said that it is "very effective" against those forms of the flu.
In addition to the steps being taken by Health Service to plan for the flu season, the community outside of Tufts is also preparing flu vaccines. The Cambridge Public Health Department, for example, will offer 18 free flu clinics.
The flu vaccine is also provided free of charge in Cambridge to police officers, fire fighters, the postal service, the staff of city hall and the staff and patients at the city's hospitals.
