The annual University of Alabama flu shot campaign, an effort by the University to protect students, faculty and staff from the flu, kicks off Sept. 7 with free vaccinations provided at the UA Law School.
Flu shots will be provided during September, October and November at locations across campus, including the Quad, University buildings and student residence halls. The shots are free; no insurance is required. Students will need to provide their CWID.
The goal of the flu shot campaign, which is led by UA’s College of Community Health Sciences, is to make getting a flu shot as easy and convenient as possible.
The shots will be administered by nurses from University Medical Center, which CCHS operates, and the University’s Student Health Center and Capstone College of Nursing. WellBAMA is also participating in the campaign.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising that FluMist, the nasal spray flu vaccine, should not be used during the 2016-17 flu season due to very low effectiveness and poor protective benefit. For this reason, the nasal spray flu vaccine will not be made available during the flu shot campaign or by University Medical Center until further notice.
Risks associated with receiving a flu shot are extremely small, and the viruses in the flu shot are inactivated so they cannot cause the flu, according to the CDC. For more information, visit http://cchs.ua.edu/flushot.
A list of dates, times and locations for flu shots can be found at http://cchs.ua.edu/flushot and at http://www.facebook.com/UAflushot/.