September 22, 2009

Flu vaccinations available for Purdue students, faculty, staff

The Purdue University Student Health Center will provide the vaccinations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday in the atrium of Armstrong Hall and then daily at the health center while supplies last. The cost for students is $15.

Vaccinations for faculty, staff and graduate staff will be available at eight different times beginning Oct. 9. Times and locations are available online at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/insidepurdue/2009/090921_FluShots.html

Also, a separate vaccine for H1N1 Type A influenza is expected to become available in October.

"While the seasonal flu vaccine won't directly protect you from H1N1, it will help keep you from getting seasonal flu, and, therefore, make you less vulnerable to the possibility of having two strains at once," said James Westman, director of Purdue Student Health Center. "Since the student-age population is believed to have little or no immunity to H1N1, maintaining one's general health is essential, especially for those with underlying health problems or weakened immune systems."

Although 271 students on the West Lafayette campus have been treated for flulike illness since Aug. 30, the number of cases have begun to decline, with only eight reported Saturday (Sept. 19) through late Tuesday (Sept. 22). Of the 168 of those tested for Type A influenza, of which H1N1 is a subset, 23 were positive for Type A. Thirty-seven samples were tested by the Indiana State Board of Health. Of those, 29 were positive for H1N1.

The university is providing frequent updates at https://www.purdue.edu/fluinfo.

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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