[076] It's Time Again For Seasonal Flu Shots From MTSU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 4, 2009EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

IT’S TIME AGAIN FOR SEASONAL FLU SHOTS FROM MTSU
September Vaccinations Not Applicable to H1N1; “Swine Flu” Shots Come Later

(MURFREESBORO) – MTSU Health Services will administer seasonal flu vaccine injections to faculty, staff and students at multiple locations next week. These vaccinations are not for the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as “swine flu.”
“Although H1N1 is grabbing all the headlines, it’s also wise to protect against these common strains we may see later on,” says Dr. Eric Clark of health services. The vaccine for H1N1 is expected to arrive at the end of October or early November. Further details will be announced closer to that time.
Seasonal flu vaccinations will be available from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesday, Sept. 8, in the second floor conference room of the Cope Administration Building and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, in the second floor lounge of the Keathley University Center. Payment may be made by cash or check at these locations.
Shots will be given in the atrium of the Health, Wellness and Recreation Center from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. At this location, payment may be made by cash, check, Visa, MasterCard or American Express, or students may charge the expense to their MTSU accounts.
No appointment is required at any location. The cost is $15 for students and $20 for faculty and staff. Family members of MTSU personnel may also get their flu shots at Health Services if they are age 16 and over.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site (www.cdc.gov), people who should be vaccinated include children aged six months up to their 19th birthday, pregnant women, people 50 years of age and older, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and people who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu.
The CDC notes that people who people who have had a severe allergy to chicken eggs, people who have had a severe reaction to a vaccination, people who developed Guillain-Barre syndrome within six weeks of getting the vaccine, children under six months of age and people who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever should not be vaccinated without first consulting a physician.
For more information, contact Rick Chapman, Health Services director, or Dr. Pat Spangler, medical director, at 615-898-2988.