The Lane County Public Health Department ran out of adult
flu shots Wednesday, and the University Health Center exhausted its supply in mid-January, but Health Center Director Tom Ryan said
students can still avoid getting the
flu or speed up its duration if they
get sick.
“The best thing to do is to be immunized,” Ryan said. “Other than that, it’s doing those things that keep us safe from other diseases.”
The health center’s supply of
vaccine ran out in just two days
when the Oregon Department of
Human Services removed guidelines restricting flu vaccinations and opened up flu shots to the general population on Jan. 6.
Flu season began Jan. 8 and
can last through April, according
to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
Although Lane County Public Health no longer has adult flu shots, it still has the intranasal vaccine FluMist available for individuals between ages 5 and 49, Nursing Supervisor Betsy Meredith said.
Ryan said students can stay healthy through the flu season by getting plenty of rest, avoiding immune suppressants such as alcohol and tobacco, and washing their hands frequently.
Common flu symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, nasal congestion and a dry cough, according to the CDC. Students who catch the illness within 48 hours of the onset of these symptoms can shorten the illness’s duration, Ryan said.
“There is a variety of antiviral drugs that will shorten duration
of symptoms one to two days,” Ryan said. “This may not sound like
much, but when you’re really sick, it is a lot.”
The health center’s pharmacy offers three antiviral drugs to speed up the presence of flu symptoms, which could last for three to seven days if not treated, he said.
Health center pharmacist Kathleen Malekzadeh said the three prescription-only medications are most beneficial to students with illnesses that would cause them to be heavily
impacted if they got the flu. She said students who are sick often or just want to avoid having the symptoms also benefit, although the drugs have a drawback.
“It’s available, it’s here and it’s useful,” Malekzadeh said. “But it
is expensive.”
She said Tamiflu, the most common of the three drugs, costs about $70 for a five-day supply. The other two drugs, Relenza and Amantadine, cost about $50 and $10 each for supplies over the same duration. Many insurance plans don’t cover these costs, although the plan offered to students through the University does, Malekzadeh said.
So far, the University has only seen one case of the flu, Ryan said, although other respiratory problems have been common.
“We aren’t seeing a lot of it at the University,” Ryan said. “It’s good news for students, and we’re hoping it stays that way.”