Trypanophobia, or the fear of needles, affects an estimated 10 percent of Americans. Any students with that phobia will need to conquer their fear this fall when going back to school so they can enjoy a fun and healthy fall term.
University students need to be updated on their flu, measles and mumps immunizations to prevent disease and illness.
The University Health Center recommends  everyone — student, faculty and staff alike — get a flu shot.
“The flu can be fairly severe. We want to make sure everyone can get the flu shot,” said University Health Center Director Dana Mills, who became the director on July 12. “Students want to study and be active on campus. The last thing they want is to be sick.”
The flu shot this year contains immunizations against three types of flu: H1N1, H3N2 and an influenza B virus. H3N2 and the influenza B virus are seasonal strains, while H1N1 is the “swine flu,” which was a pandemic in 2009. One shot includes the three vaccines.
Although the World Health Organization declared the end of the global H1N1 pandemic on Aug. 10, the H1N1 vaccine is still being included in the flu shot.
“There were concerns it was going to come around the globe again,” Pauline Davis, family nurse practitioner and midwife at PeaceHealth in Eugene said.
It’s especially important for college students to get the H1N1 vaccine. In 2009, “H1N1 hit young people that were otherwise healthy,” Davis said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that college freshmen, especially those who live in dormitories, get a meningitis vaccination as well because they are at a slightly higher risk for contracting bacterial meningitis.
Another thing students should be wary of as they come back to school is to make sure their immunization records are in order. American students and international students alike need measles and mumps vaccines in order to register at the University. The health center’s website states that all entering college students need to provide proof that they had two doses of both measles and mumps immunity. If students cannot provide this information, a hold will be placed on their registration for the following term.
If a student is exposed to measles or mumps, they could be exiled from campus for two weeks during an incubation period. This time away from the classroom could affect a student’s grades and their potential to graduate successfully.
“Immunization is a safe and effective way to protect yourself against vaccine-preventable diseases that can hurt, cripple and even kill,” according to the health center’s website. Contagious diseases such as measles and mumps “can spread rapidly among non-immunized individuals in a group situation, such as a university campus.”
University students who don’t have health care through their family or employer are also encouraged to contact the health center, which offers a health insurance package for qualifying students. Many American families are losing employer-covered insurance because many people are unemployed. The unemployment rate is Oregon is 10 percent.
Students who are interested in studying abroad need to contact a study abroad adviser and the health center to ensure that they get the appropriate vaccinations for the country (or countries) they are visiting.
swalters@dailyemerald.com