Flu Activity Peaks Between Now and February

Jules Odendahl-James heads to Duke Clinic every year for a free flu shot, despite her distaste for needles.She receives the vaccine to protect her spouse, who cannot get a flu shot due to a medical condition, against the potentially deadly virus. “Getting vaccinated is a bigger issue than what I like or don’t like to do,” said Odendahl-James, director of academic engagement for the Humanities in the Duke Academic Advising Center. “This is something I want to do for my community so in my family we’re not passing the flu among each other and we do our part to make the protective bubble a little bigger.”Five people in North Carolina have died so far from the flu this season, which typically peaks between December and February, according to the N.C. Division of Public Health. Widespread influenza activity has been reported in North Carolina.Odendahl-James is one of nearly 30,000 Duke University and Health System employees who have received their flu shots so far this season, a record number of vaccinations for Duke. Last flu season, Duke Employee Occupational Health & Wellness recorded vaccinations for a total of 28,124 people. One of the common issues when it comes to spreading the flu is that people can become infectious 24 to 36 hours before they even show symptoms, said Dr. Carol Epling, Employee Occupational Health & Wellness director.“If you don’t get the vaccine for yourself, do it for someone else,” Epling said. “If you’re near someone who’s particularly vulnerable to the flu, it really can be severe and even deadly.” Early data suggests the 2014-15 flu season could be severe. About 52 percent of flu strains currently being transmitted have mutated from the vaccine, potentially decreasing the flu shot’s effectiveness, according to an advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the vaccine still provides protection against two common flu strains, and people may experience milder symptoms if they get the mutated strain.“Getting vaccinated with our currently available flu vaccine will still offer many people an immune response if they’re exposed to flu strains in the community due to cross-reactivity among strains,” Epling said. Free flu shots will be available for employees in the Employee Occupational Health & Wellness clinics through the end of this year’s flu season, which is typically around March 1. To receive a flu vaccine, no appointment is necessary, but employees have to show their DukeCard ID. The main Employee Occupational Health & Wellness clinic is in the basement level of Duke (South) Clinic’s Red Zone.Odendahl-James said the Duke Academic Advising Center administration encouraged all staff members to receive flu shots this year, to keep both themselves and students visiting their office healthy. “It’s so available. It’s free. It’s timely,” Odendahl-James said. “It might require standing in line for a little bit, but we stand in line for lots of things, like our daily coffee. And the benefits of this go much further than that kick of caffeine.”