Communications

Date: October 10, 2012

To: All U.Va. Students

From: Department of Student Health

Re: Immunization Clinic: Wednesday, Oct. 17

Please do not respond to this email.

The University strongly encourages you to consider getting immunized against seasonal flu.

The Immunization Clinic will take place:

Aetna Student Health Insurance will be accepted.

Costs for vaccines are as follows:

Students who are under age 18 will need the permission of a parent or guardian to receive immunizations at these clinics. Please check the Student Health website to download the consent form that will require the signature of a parent or guardian. For more information, please visit www.virginia.edu/studenthealth/immunizationclinic2012.html or call Student Health at 982-3915.
 

Immunization Details

Protect yourself against several serious health threats. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone older than 6 months get a flu shot. It protects not only you and your loved ones but also those in the University community you come in contact with who are more susceptible to getting complications and may not have had a flu shot.

• Don’t run the risk of getting the flu while trying to study for finals. With the rigorous demands of college life, even a short-term illness may hinder your academic achievement and cause a setback in your studies. Young and healthy people can get very sick, too.
• College students at high risk of complications from the flu, such as those with diabetes, asthma or anyone who wants to minimize disruption of their routine activities during epidemics, should seriously consider being immunized against influenza. 
• You can also protect your friends and family from the flu by getting vaccinated and by avoiding passing it on to the people you care about.
• Epidemic levels of whooping cough (pertussis) are sweeping across the country with a few cases already diagnosed in the Charlottesville area. It is expected that some of our students may be exposed in the community. While 70 percent of the University’s undergraduates are already vaccinated with Tdap, those who are  not are strongly encouraged to do so at the upcoming vaccination clinic on October 17. More information on the clinic can be found here.
• You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine.
• Don’t be blocked from spring registration.
• The clinic provides the ideal time and place to complete your pre-entrance requirements if you have not already done so. 
• By coming to the clinic instead of Student Health, you are not risking exposure to the viruses that are already affecting the health of students at this time. 
• If you have not completed your vaccinations for MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), Tetanus/Pertussis (Tdap), Hepatitis B or Meningitis, they will also be available so that you will not be blocked from registration for spring semester.
• Tuberculosis risk assessments will be available on a limited basis. (Note: PPD skin testing will only be available at Student Health on any day other than Thursday or Saturday.)
• In order to review what “pre-entrance” vaccines you are required to receive, please visit: www.healthyhoos.virginia.edu to review your records. You will need to know what vaccines you will need.

More Information

INFLUENZA is thought to spread mostly from person to person through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus. Most people who get influenza recover in a few days, but some people become much sicker and may need to be hospitalized. Influenza can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening medical complications. You can also inadvertently transmit the virus to persons vulnerable to complications, such as young children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with chronic medical conditions. In addition to the injectable form, influenza vaccine also is available in an intranasal form.

MENINGITIS is an infection of the brain and spinal cord that can lead to infection of the blood, serious disability or death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), outbreaks of meningitis have increased in recent years, especially in school and campus settings. Infection is spread through direct contact (kissing, sharing a drink) or airborne droplets (coughing, sneezing).

HEPATITIS B is a virus that attacks the liver. The virus can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure and death. Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood and body fluids. Modes of transmission are through sexual contact, sharing of syringes, repeatedly sharing an infected person’s razor, toothbrush or earrings, and through unsanitary tattooing and body piercing. The hepatitis B virus can be up to 100 times more contagious than the HIV virus.

WHOOPING COUGH (pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable, violent coughing. The coughing can make it hard to breathe. A deep "whooping" sound is often heard when the patient tries to take a breath. Whooping cough can affect people of any age. Before vaccines were widely available, the disease was most common in infants and young children. Now that most children are immunized before entering school, the higher percentage of cases is seen among adolescents and adults.

Thank you. We look forward to seeing you at the clinic on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Department of Student Health
www.virginia.edu/studenthealth