By: Brice Helms
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK — The weather is turning colder and that means that the start of the flu season is here.
The most likely time for a person to catch the flu is between October and February.
Approximately 2,700 students will catch the virus at the University of Arkansas this flu season.
Students can catch the flu from pretty much anywhere.
“Think about your cellphone for instance. How often are you touching your cellphone with your hand while you’re eating, or bringing your cellphone into the bathroom? So it’s really important to make sure you’re disinfecting those everyday used items like your laptops, your cellphones,” said Zac Brown, the assistant director for communications at Pat Walker.
The Pat Walker Health Center reported that there have already been 19 confirmed cases of the flu on campus already this semester.
In order to have a better chance at avoiding catching the virus, they encourage every student to get their flu shot.
Nursing student Lauren Love agreed with the suggestion from the health clinic, saying getting the flu shot wasn’t that painful and didn’t take a lot of time.
Pat Walker hosts a walk-in flu vaccine clinic everyday from 3 to 5 P.M..
To see how long it took to get the vaccine, I went to Pat Walker.
From filling out the intro paperwork to actually receiving the flu shot, my trip to the Pat Walker Health Center took only around 60 seconds.
Students should be proactive with their health over the coming months in an effort to keep themselves and everyone else on campus healthy.
Zac Brown had a final nugget of wisdom for students, “one important thing to remember is that if you get your flu vaccine early enough it’s gonna prevent you contracting the flu over the entire flu season which can range from October all the way until April.”