There was a time some months ago when the threat of swine flu was easy to ignore, when the dreaded H1N1 virus had yet to hit the Tufts campus and there remained a possibility that the entire epidemic was all just overblown media hype. That time has come and gone. Flu masks populate the Health Service office and H1N1 e-mail updates appear in some students' inboxes even more frequently than Facebook.com notifications.
With all the swine hysteria on campus and across the country, one would think that the recent arrival of the H1N1 vaccine in the United States would be eagerly welcomed. But according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, nearly 70 percent of people aged 18 to 29 said they had no intention of being vaccinated. The poll also found that 62 percent of people ages 30 to 64 and 53 percent of those over 65 planned to skip vaccination.
Dr. Edward Walsh, an infectious disease specialist in Rochester, N.Y., attributed college students' noted indifference to what he sees as the demographic's typical focus on weekend plans and upcoming exams.
"College kids in general live in the present, and many do not think ahead very much," he said. "They also live in a very closed society that is dominated by campus and dorm life. Often students are oblivious to events that do not directly involve the campus."
Walsh also attributed the apparent lack of interest in vaccination to the blasé attitudes typically displayed on college campuses. "Especially for the male students, they are in that ‘invincible' stage of life where nothing can hurt them," he said. "Even when influenza hits a campus, as it did at many schools this fall, the students often have a mild illness, as do most of their friends, and then they are convinced it is overblown."
Walsh added, "This all changes, however, when a student dies."
Sophomore Michael Stanzler may be one of these "invincible" males. Stanzler was unconcerned about the threat of swine flu last spring, and he remains carefree about the possibility of contracting the illness despite its overwhelming presence at Tufts.
The sophomore plans to get the vaccine once it becomes available on campus, but he says this is because of his mother's prodding, and he personally has ultimate faith in his body's natural defenses.
"I like to think my body's a temple, [but] I would probably get it even though I know my immune system is strong enough that this petty swine flu wouldn't bother me," he said.
Ignoring the seriousness of H1N1 can have a particularly adverse impact on others, according to Walsh.
"Unfortunately, it is a troublesome way of thinking," Walsh said. "The spread of infection may seem trivial and unimportant as long as no one is seriously ill, until it spreads to a particularly vulnerable person who becomes very ill. Students should realize that it is their obligation to minimize spread of infection by following recommendations made by public health agencies."
Despite the results of the ABC survey, Margaret Higham, the director of Tufts Health Service, still has faith that students will line up for the H1N1 vaccine.
"I would be surprised if at Tufts 70 percent of students decided not to get immunized," she said. "We had an overwhelming turnout for the seasonal flu vaccine this year — and that's just the seasonal flu vaccine, it's not the H1N1 vaccine."
According to Higham, students that have seen the impact of swine flu are more likely to take advantage of the vaccine. Since the flu has been rampant at Tufts, Higham believes students would opt for the vaccine in order to prevent a sickly week of isolation.
"I think in communities where they're seeing a lot of flu, certainly in communities where there have been deaths, there tends to be a lot higher interest in vaccination," she said. "We are seeing a very large amount of H1N1 flu amongst students right now. I think everyone knows someone who's been quarantined. Students are aware of what's happening, and I think it might motivate them to want to be immunized."
Junior Hannah Leshin is one Tufts student who will be lining up for the vaccine once it becomes available.
"I am planning on getting the swine flu vaccine," she said. "[H1N1] is something that concerns a college student because we're with each other all the time and live in communal spaces."
Although Leshin has managed to avoid contracting the virus so far, her roommate has not been so lucky. Living with someone suffering from the illness has made Leshin markedly aware of the flu's presence on campus and even more determined to avoid it.
"It really freaked me out seeing how miserable she was," she said. "I was convinced that I would get it. It just made me really aware of cleanliness and things like that, so I wanted to get the vaccine more than ever."
Another reason for reluctance to receive the H1N1 vaccine has less to do with apathy and more to do with concern over the vaccine's safety. Officials in New York City have reported that between five and 50 percent of children in elementary school have not obtained permission from their parents to receive the vaccine, a situation that may result from distrust of a brand new vaccine.
Both Higham and Walsh, however, agree that the swine flu vaccine is well-tested, safe and an excellent option for anyone wishing to prevent illness.
"The vaccine is extremely safe and, especially with the live vaccine, it is painless," Walsh said.
Higham pointed to the vaccine's similarity to the seasonal flu shot as an indicator of its safety.
"A lot of people are under the impression that it's a ‘new vaccine,' which it's not," she said. "It's made the same way that the regular seasonal flu vaccine is made — it has just one tiny piece of protein that's slightly different on it. It's just a minor change like that. Next year the H1N1 vaccine will be the seasonal flu vaccine."
A recent e-mail sent by the university explained that it is still unknown when vaccine supplies will arrive at Tufts and in what quantity. Higham said she would recommend the H1N1 vaccine to any college student who can obtain it.
"Anyone who feels comfortable getting the winter flu shot should certainly feel comfortable getting an H1N1 shot," she said. "I don't see why anyone wouldn't want to get it."
