Vaccination

Vaccination is the best protection against contracting the flu. The seasonal flu vaccine now contains the H1N1 (Swine) flu vaccine. The CDC is encouraging people to get vaccinated. 

You can't get the flu from getting a flu vaccine!

The flu vaccine does not give you the flu. It stimulates your body to produce antibodies. These antibodies provide protection against infection by flu viruses.

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination:

All persons, including school-aged children who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting influenza to others, should get the flu vaccine.  Those people at greatest risk for complications of the flu and those most likely to get or spread the flu should be vaccinated with the flu vaccine as soon as it is available. These include:

  • Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
  • Pregnant women
  • People 50 years of age and older
  • People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
  • People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
  • People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
  • Health care workers
  • Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
  • Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

 Who Should Not Be Vaccinated:

There are some people who should not get a flu vaccine without first consulting a physician. These include:

  • People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
  • People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
  • People who developed Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine.
  • Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group), and
  • People who have a moderate to severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover). 

More from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention >> http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/acip/persons.htm

Where can I get the seasonal flu vaccination?

  • Students, faculty and staff can get the seasonal flu vaccine from the Student Health Services. Student Health Services will be offering the seasonal influenza vaccine to eligible students of Stony Brook University for free. Faculty and Staff can receive the vaccine for a $25 fee.

How is the vaccine administered?

You can receive the flu vaccine one of two ways, i.e. nasal spray or shot. The nasal spray is a live, attenuated intranasal vaccine (or LAIV) that is sprayed into the nose. The flu shot is an inactivated vaccine (vaccine that has killed virus in it), which is injected into the muscle.