By Matthew­Jimenez

The Fresno State Student Health Center will offer 2,000 free flu shots to students and staff over the course of several days.

The flu shot clinic will be located in the Vintage Room, behind Taco Bell, on Oct. 28 and ­29 and Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“I highly encourage students to get the flu shot,” said Wendy Oliver, the health center director of nursing. “It doesn’t mean that you won’t get sick, but it’s the best way to prevent the flu.”

Oliver said the goal is to immunize as many students as possible. Last year the health center administered 1,700 vaccinations.

At the clinic, students will need to present their student identification, read an information sheet, sign a waiver and answer a few simple questions before they can receive the vaccination. Nursing students will administer the vaccinations.

Oliver recommends students should talk to their health care providers to see if getting a vaccination is a good idea.

People who should not receive the flu shot include:

• People who have a severe allergy to chicken or eggs.
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination in the past.
• People who have a moderate or severe illness with a fever should wait to get vaccinated until their symptoms lessen.
• People with a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Oliver said to prevent the spread of the flu, people should wash their hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. People should not touch their faces and should cough into their sleeve or tissue, she said.

Julie Arends, a physician at the health center, said people who are unable to receive the shot should follow the same precautions.

“It’s rare for a person to suffer any side effects,” Arends said. “In the past two years, one student said they felt lightheaded.”

Arends said she will be at the clinic to talk to anyone who may have concerns. She will be on standby to help anyone who may feel ill after receiving the vaccination.

People who think they have the flu should stay home, and appoint a flu buddy (someone to check in on them), she said.

For more information about the flu, go to the health center website at www.fresnostate.edu/studentaffairs/health. There you can find information on flu symptoms, links to the CDC and how to distinguish a cold from the flu.