A message from Dr. Richard Friend, Dean of the College of Community Health Sciences
Respiratory viruses typically circulate more in communities during fall and winter. This year, there are three to take note of – flu, COVID-19 and RSV. These viruses can cause mild to severe illness, and they can be particularly dangerous for the elderly, young children, and those with chronic health conditions and compromised immune systems.
Prevention is key, and getting vaccinated is the best way to fight against these contagious illnesses. Vaccines protect the individuals receiving them, but the protection doesn’t stop there. The more people within a community who are vaccinated helps reduce the overall number of people who might get seriously sick – enough to be hospitalized or to have potentially serious outcomes.
Flu season typically begins in October. Flu causes mild to severe illness and serious consequences of flu infection can lead to hospitalization and, in some cases, even to death. But studies show that people who get a flu vaccine are half as likely to be hospitalized with flu compared to people who aren’t vaccinated.
An annual flu shot is recommended for those who are 6 months of age and older. Vaccination is particularly important for people at risk for serious complications from the flu, including children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years of age and older, pregnant women, people with certain chronic health conditions, and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
To protect The University of Alabama community from the flu, University Medical Center leads UA’s annual free flu shot campaign. We partner in this important initiative with the UA Student Health Center and Pharmacy, the UA Capstone College of Nursing and WellBAMA.
The goal of the campaign, now in its 12th year, is to make it easy and convenient for UA students, faculty and staff to get a flu shot. Flu vaccines are provided at no cost, and with no health insurance required, at sites across campus from early September to mid-November. For more information, visit https://cchs.ua.edu/flushot.
Today, more than three years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the coronavirus is still with us. At UMC, we encourage you to stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines to lower your risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 and having to be hospitalized.
An updated COVID-19 vaccine is now being released and is recommended for everyone ages six months and older. UMC will soon begin offering the vaccine.
RSV, short for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is another respiratory virus that generally appears in the fall. The virus causes cold-like symptoms, and while many people recover in a week or two, RSV can be serious for infants and older adults.
For the first time, there is an RSV vaccine available to protect older adults. The vaccine is currently recommended for adults 60 years of age and older. For infants and younger children, monoclonal antibody products are available. While monoclonal antibodies are not a vaccine, they do provide a layer of protection against RSV infections.
Now that fall is here and flu, COVID-19 and RSV are circulating in our community, stay protected by getting vaccinated. It’s the best way to protect yourself and others around you.
The College of Community Health Sciences operates University Medical Center, the UA Student Health Center and Pharmacy, Brewer-Porch Children’s Center and Capstone Hospitalist Group.