Free H1N1 vaccines on campus

Oakland University students can get vaccinated for free on campus at the Graham Health Center. For faculty and staff, it will cost $10.

Since it started giving out the H1N1 virus vaccinations Oct. 16, about 400 had been given out by Oct. 27, with about 500 doses remaining, said Julie Thams, a physican assistant at the center.

She said they have already held three flu clinics on campus — two in the residence halls and one in the athletic building, “to try to get those who live in close quarters … [and] those who work in close conditions.”

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the center will make the vaccine available on the lower floor of the Oakland Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Oct. 29, Graham Health Center will hold another clinic in Hamlin Hall from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The vaccine is also available Mondays through Fridays between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Graham Health Center.

The H1N1 virus seems to affect young people under 25 more than other people.

The vaccination is nasal spray that is a “live vaccine,” Thams said, which means it’s a diluted version of the actual virus, which puts children, people older than 50, pregnant women and people with chronic health problems at a risk if they take this version of the vaccine.

The current target audience for this round of vaccines at the center is non-pregnant people between 18-24 who don’t have chronic health problems such as asthma and diabetes.

Thams said the Center is hoping to get the injection version soon, which is safer for more people. She said the Centers for Disease Control sets the criteria for people who can be given the vaccine.

“Once the CDC lifts our guideline, we hope to get it to everybody,” she said.

Thams said the center doesn’t know how many OU members were affected by the flu, but that it keeps in contacts with resident halls to find out how many students have flu-like symptoms, and recommends them to stay home until they’re healthy to prevent contagion.

The H1N1 has the same symptoms and fatality rate as the regular seasonal flu, but it spreads more rapidly.

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, 117 K-12 schools were closed, none of which were in Oakland or Macomb County. No public universities are closed.

Visit www.oakgov/health to find where to get the flu vaccine.