Don't catch the Flu while at NU

Hi, all. Welcome back to one of the easiest places to catch a contagious disease... a college campus.

But seriously, folks. Any institutional setting (military base, assisted living facility, etc., etc.) has lots of disease vectors--new people coming in with germs and viruses they are immune to, but to which you may not be immune. We swap germs, mix & match, and if our luck is running really badly, our hallowed halls will sound like the depths of a T.B. ward within a month or so. 

Studies have shown that frequent hand-washing is effective. Using hand sanitizer in between trips the restroom. Not touching your hands to your face after contact with suspect surfaces (telephones, door handles, desktops...) Yeah, we might as well all go live in bubbles, I know. 

NU is trying to do its bit to stop the flu by scheduling a flu-shot clinic. The fewer people who contract the flu, the healthier we all are on average. If you do catch the flu, having gotten a shot is likely to mean your symptoms are less severe, and clear up more quickly. 

The only catch: you must sign up for this one-shot (pun!) clinic in advance. I have been told by our Head Nurse & public health advocate Lori Soos that the clinic must draw at least 25 pre-registered people in order to run. 

Thanks in advance for contributing to my health (as well as your own).

FLU SHOT CLINIC - Wednesday Jan. 23

Independent Nursing Care will host a special flu shot clinic on Wednesday, Jan. 23, from 11 a.m. until noon, in the Health Services office. PRE-SIGN UP IS NECESSARY TO GET A FLU SHOT. All NU students, employees, and family members are invited to attend. Insurance cards must be presented at time of service. Please check out the Health Center website at http://www.niagara.edu/healthcenter/ for a list of accepted insurances. Cash payment for vaccines will also be accepted at the following cost: $25 flu shot, $35 flu mist. Questions may be referred to student health services at ext. 8390.

For more information, here's a pdf from NU's employee assistance program, Triple Track: http://goo.gl/UQBSf