What you need to know about coronavirus (COVID-19)
Reading Time: 4 minutes Hereâs everything you need to know about the coronavirus (COVID-19), including symptoms, who is most at risk, and what you can do to help stop the spread.
Reading Time: 4 minutes Hereâs everything you need to know about the coronavirus (COVID-19), including symptoms, who is most at risk, and what you can do to help stop the spread.
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A major part of that is your vaccination history. While most vaccinations are recommended and sometimes required (especially for students involved in the health care fields) before you hit campus, you should still be aware of yearly doses like the flu shot, boosters for vaccines you got when you were younger, or first-time doses you might still need.
Vaccines are one of the best possible ways to protect your health and the health of those around youâplus, they can prevent you from taking the blame for spreading that nasty flu around the res hall. Other good news? Vaccines are easy to get.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Student perspective” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507237128255{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]âVaccines help sustain health for you, your family, and the community.â
âKevin M., first-year graduate student at California State University, Fresno
We want to make the immunization process as painless as possible, so hereâs what you need to know about the most important vaccines to have in collegeâwhat they are, why theyâre so necessary, and how to get them.
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Why you need it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507237116155{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Despite how commonly we hear about it, the flu isnât something you want to mess around with (most of the time, when people think they have the flu, itâs actually a less serious viral infection). âSeasonal flu is a serious, highly contagious respiratory illness that affects approximately 5 to 20 percent of individuals each year,â says Dr. Lisa Ipp, associate director of adolescent medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, a medical school in New York City. âData from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tells us that of those who get the flu, over 200,000 are hospitalized and tens of thousands die from flu-related complications.â[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion shape=”square” spacing=”5″ c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”0″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Getting your flu shot can help keep you from falling behind” tab_id=”1507222925254-d440a3d1-2fb1″][vc_column_text]More likely than landing you in the hospital, getting the flu could really set you back in class. On average, the flu lasts about eight days, and during that time youâll be more likely to miss lectures and hit up campus health services, according to a 2010 study published in PLOS One. Research published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that 46 percent of college students did poorly on an assignment after getting the flu.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”More people who are vaccinated = fewer people getting sick” tab_id=”1507222925454-955a1c64-e599″][vc_column_text]When researchers from the PLOS One study modeled the effect of the vaccine, they found that if just 20 percent of people on campus got their flu shot, the number of people who would get the flu that season would drop from 69 percent (if no one got vaccinated) to less than 50 percent. The researchers also found that if just 60 percent of people on campus got vaccinated, less than 1 percent of the campus population would be likely to end up with the flu. This process is called herd immunityâand it works.
Key facts about the seasonal flu vaccine
The CDC recommends everyone get a flu vaccine each year. âThis, of course, includes healthy college students,â says Dr. Ipp. On a college campus, the virus can spread crazy fast. âWithout a flu shot, your immune system canât protect you against the flu because the virus mutates from year to year,â says Dr. Davis Smith, staff physician at the University of Connecticut. Plus, getting yourself vaccinated will help protect the very young and the very oldâsuch as kids or grandparents youâll see when you head home for breakâwho are âvulnerable to serious complications of flu because they donât have the pulmonary and other reserve to tolerate the ravages of this lower respiratory track infection.â
[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_custom_heading text=”When to get it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507237103378{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Every year, as soon as it becomes available, which is usually SeptemberâJanuary (and sometimes later).[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Student perspective” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%233d3bbd” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507236726338{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]âVaccines are incredibly important because they not only protect you but protect those around you who are susceptible to diseases.âThe flu vaccine will not give you the flu (no matter how much that girl in class swears she got sick from her flu shot). The vaccine works by causing your body to develop antibodies about two weeks after you get itâso if you do get sick after getting your shot, that means you were already exposed to the germs or were exposed in that two-week window.
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”How to get it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507237073945{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Flu season lasts from fall to spring, but if you havenât gotten vaccinated yet, you still can (and should), according to the CDC. Check in with your on-campus health center or your health care provider to get your seasonal flu vaccine. You can also find the vaccine at most community clinics and pharmacies, including CVS and Walgreens. The flu shot typically costs around $40â$70, but under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are required to cover it in full. Make sure you check with your provider before you goâsome insurance companies require you to get the vaccine from your doctor (not a pharmacy) for the cost to be covered.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Why you need it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507237045245{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]âThe human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is cancer prevention,â says Lizzy Appleby, a social worker and youth program manager at Angles reproductive healthcare clinic in Illinois. âWhile most strains of HPV will go away on their own, some strains can cause cancer, including cervical cancers, throat cancers, anal cancers, and penile cancers.â HPV causes 31,500 new cases of cancer each year, according to the CDC, and some strains can also cause genital warts. The vaccine, which is a series of three shots given over the course of a year (only two if you got the vaccine before the age of 15), can prevent that. In other words, itâs a super-important shot for both men and women.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Student perspective” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507237032140{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]âThe HPV vaccination is essentially a cancer vaccination, which is revolutionary.â
âEliot A., fourth-year student at Metropolitan State University of Denver
So what exactly is HPV? Technically, itâs a group of over 100 related viruses that are mainly spread through sexual skin-to-skin contact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). HPV can cause bumpy warts on or near the genitals, and at least 13 strains of the virus are known to cause cancer.[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion shape=”square” spacing=”5″ c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”0″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”HPV is extremely commonâthat’s why the vaccine is so important” tab_id=”1507225248554-ee303210-e850″][vc_column_text]About one in four Americans are currently infected with the virus, according to the CDC. Luckily, about 90 percent of HPV infections go away on their own within two years, according to WHO, but the vaccine is still super important. âThe vaccine can help protect against the nine types of HPV most commonly linked to some cancers and genital warts,â says Dr. Divya Patel, an associate professor of gynecology at the University of Texas. âThe HPV vaccine is preventative care, which means that itâs meant to protect you before the protection becomes necessary,â adds Appleby. âIt wonât make any STIs [sexually transmitted infections] you already have go away, and it wonât cause an STI if you donât have one.â
While itâs true that your risk for getting HPV goes up as your number of sexual partners increases, someone who has only had sex with one partner can still contract HPV if their partner has ever been exposed, according to the American Cancer Society. Getting the HPV vaccine does not depend on whether or not you are currently sexually active. In fact, âthe vaccine is really most effective if you get it before youâve been sexually active,â says Dr. Patel. Even if youâve never been sexually active and donât plan on being for a long time, getting vaccinated is a vital part of preventing serious health issues down the road.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_custom_heading text=”When to get it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507237020462{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]While the CDC recommends the vaccine for pre-teens (preferably at 11 or 12), itâs not too late if you havenât gotten it. âCatch-up vaccination is recommended all the way up to age 21 for males and age 26 for females,â says Dr. Patel. Men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, and those with compromised immune systems (such as from HIV) can also get the vaccine through age 26.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”How to get it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507237009202{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]If youâre not sure if youâve gotten the vaccine (or the full series of shots), start by asking your parent or contacting your pediatrician for your immunization record. If you still need the vaccine, hereâs how to get it:
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Why you need it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507236982750{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The MenACWY vaccine prevents against meningococcal disease (also called meningitis or bacterial meningitis), a very serious and sometimes deadly infection of the brain and spinal cord. It starts with flu-like symptoms (fever, headache, nausea, stiffness in the neck) that rapidly get worse. Some cases can become life-threatening within just a few hours.
Luckily, itâs not super common anymoreâthanks to the success of the vaccine. According to the CDC, the number of cases has gone down by 80 percent since the vaccine became widely recommended for preteens and teens in the â90s. Meningococcal disease is still highly contagiousâaccording to the CDC, itâs transmitted through respiratory and throat secretions, so something as simple as a kiss or a cough can cause an outbreak that spreads like wildfire in close quartersâaka res halls and crowded classrooms. Itâs incredibly important to be immunized.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Student perspective” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507236970953{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]âIf it werenât for vaccines, serious illnesses and diseases would still be plaguing society today. (Polio, for example.)â
âName withheld, fourth-year student at Berea College in Kentucky[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”When to get it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507236960373{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The MenACWY vaccine is recommended for all first-year college students age 21 and younger who plan to live in residence halls (though others can still receive the vaccine through age 23). This vaccine is so important that in 39 states, itâs actually required as part of your college admission. College students have a higher risk of getting bacterial meningitis than other young adults, according to the CDC, which is why they recommend you get it even if your school or state doesnât require it.
Meningococcal ACWY prevention mandates for colleges and universities[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”How to get it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507236949296{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The CDC recommends getting the shot between the ages of 11 and 12âif you canât remember whether youâve had it, ask your parent or contact your childhood doctor for your medical records. If you did get the MenACWY vaccination and it was before your 16th birthday, the US Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting a booster shot before heading to campus for maximum protection.
Thereâs also a second type of vaccineâserogroup B meningococcal vaccines that might be necessary if you have certain health conditions putting you at greater risk (such as a damaged or removed spleen)âso talk to your doctor to make sure youâre covered.
Because this vaccine is part of the routine childhood immunization schedule, you should be able to find it at your family doctorâs office. Campus health centers, federally funded community health centers, and many pharmacies also provide the vaccine. Just like the HPV vaccine, the ACA requires that all insurance providers cover it. Out of pocket, it costs around $150.
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Why you need it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507236933587{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The Tdap vaccine is a triple threat, protecting you against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussisâthree diseases that are rare but serious.
Tetanus, which you can get when bacteria gets into cuts, kills about 10 percent of people who contract it, says the CDC, and causes severely painful muscle tightening and stiffness. Diphtheria, while extremely rare, isnât something to mess withâit can cause breathing problems, heart failure, paralysis, and even death. Pertussisâbetter known as whooping coughâis slightly more common. It can cause severe coughing spellsâweâre talking coughing so hard you can fracture your own ribsâthat are grave enough to land 2 percent of adolescents who contract it in the hospital with serious complications.
The vaccine has all but eradicated these scary diseases (reported cases of tetanus and diphtheria have dropped by about 99 percent, and cases of pertussis have dropped by about 80 percent, according to the CDC), but that doesnât mean you donât need to get vaccinated. The CDC reported a massive spike in cases of whooping cough in 2012, and rates of infections have remained higher than in decades past because of the recent anti-vaccine movement, according to experts at the National Institutes of Health. Double-check and make sure you got the shot.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Student perspective” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507236922193{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]âI would recommend that anyone do anything they can to prevent being sick.â
âBethany P., fourth-year student at the University of Rhode Island[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”How and when to get it” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%234b57be” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1507236911717{margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Like the HPV vaccine and MenACWY, the Tdap vaccine is recommended for 11- and 12-year-olds, but if you didnât get it as a preteen, you should still get it ASAP, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC. After youâve had your Tdap vaccine, youâll need a Td booster shot (to renew your protection against tetanus and diphtheria) every 10 years.
Again, start with your campus health center or current health care provider. You can also check out the local pharmacy or clinic.
All vaccines can have some side effectsâusually mild redness or swelling around the site of the shot (Tdap tends to leave you with a sore arm). You might also get a mild headache or flu-like symptoms right after getting a vaccine, so make sure to ask the health care provider giving you the vaccination what to expect. However, all of these vaccines have been through rigorous testing. There’s absolutely no scientific evidence that these vaccines cause diseases or serious side effects (such as autism), according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Itâs important to remember that any small side effects you might experience are nothing compared to the massive, science-backed benefits youâll get by getting vaccinated. The bottom line: Staying on top of your shots is a super-easy way to boost your health and help protect your community.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [school_resource sh101resources=’no’ category=’mobileapp,healthservices, wellnesspromotion’] Get help or find out more
Vaccines for college students and young adults: US Department of Health and Human Services
Vaccine safety: Immunization Action Coalition
Key facts about seasonal flu vaccine: CDC
Lizzy Appleby, MSW, youth program manager at Angles reproductive healthcare clinic, Illinois.
Lisa Ipp, MD, associate director of adolescent medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York.
Divya Patel, PhD, assistant professor, Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (an affiliate of the University of Texas System).
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American Cancer Society. (2016, May 11). What is HPV? HPV and Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/infectious-agents/hpv/hpv-and-cancer-info.html
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HealthMap Vaccine Finder. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://vaccinefinder.org/
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National Institutes of Health. (2015, March 2). Gardasil 9 vaccine protects against additional HPV types. National Cancer Institute. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/types/cervical/research/gardasil9-prevents-more-HPV-types
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Nichol, K. L., DâHeilly, S., & Ehlinger, E. P. (2005). Colds and influenza-like illnesses in university students: Impact on health, academic and work performance, and health care use. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 40(9), 1263â1270. doi: 10.1086/429237
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Nichol, K. L., Tummers, K., Hoyer-Leitzel, A., Marsh, J., et al. (2010). Modeling seasonal influenza outbreak in a closed college campus: Impact of pre-season vaccination, in-season vaccination and holidays/breaks. PLoS One, 5(3). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009548
Patel, D. A., Zochowski, M., Peterman, S., Dempsey, A. F., et al. (2012). Human papillomavirus vaccine intent and uptake among female college students. Journal of American College Health, 60(2), 151â161. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2011.580028
Poehling, K. A., Blocker, J., Ip, E. H., & Peters, T. R., et al. (2012). 2009â2010 seasonal influenza vaccination coverage among college students from eight universities in North Carolina. Journal of American College Health, 60(8), 541. doi: 10.1080/07 448481.2012.700973
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Yang, Z. J. (2012). Too scared or too capable? Why do college students stay away from the H1N1 vaccine? Risk Analysis, 32(10), 1703â1716. doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2012.01799.x