ELEANOR MANN SCHOOL OF NURSING STUDENTS READY UA ATHLETES FOR BEGINNING OF FLU SEASON

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When it comes to flu shots, many people run for cover. But the University of Arkansas Men’s Athletic department ran, tackled and dribbled their way to the UA Eleanor Mann School of Nursing where nearly three dozen nursing students in training gave out influenza vaccinations as part of fall’s rite of passage into flu season.

"Preparing our athletes for the flu season just makes sense," said Athletic Director Frank Broyles. "When you combine the time and energy needed to practice, compete and take care of academics, our students athletes can experience fatigue that makes them vulnerable to the flu. We feel it’s important that they have the protection flu shots provide and the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing is a convenient and friendly place for us to get them. The nursing students do a wonderful job — and it hardly hurts at all."

Despite having been around for years, flu shot myths still abound. "In nearly every case, flu shots do not give anybody the flu," said Barbara Conrad, a nursing professor and department head at the Eleanor Mann School. "We’re here not only to set the record straight about the flu, but to dole out plenty of vaccinations as painlessly as possible while providing nursing students supervised practice in administering injections."

"It’s great practice for us as we develop our skills," said Kennetta Marshall, a junior nursing student planning to graduate in 2001. "And it’s fun to hang out with the athletes."

Jenny Miller, a junior nursing student charged with giving Frank Broyles the influenza vaccine, admitted she was a little nervous at the prospect of sticking the University’s athletic director in the arm. "He was a perfect gentleman," Miller said. "He joked with me through the whole thing."

Flu shots administer a tiny amount of the active flu virus into the body, encouraging the build-up of antibodies that fight off the disease. The theory is that, when a dose of the real flu hits, the body will have a well-developed defense to tackle the virus.

Though the vaccine is an excellent way to hopefully avoid the flu, it’s not a guarantee against the virus. According to the UA Health Center, those who are vaccinated against the flu and still contract the virus will usually have a milder case than those who did not get the shot. The Health Center maintains that many people think of the flu as any illness with fever and cold symptoms and expect the vaccination to prevent these. But the influenza vaccine is effective only against illness caused by the influenza virus and not against other causes of colds and fever.

Flu season, which generally runs from November through March, can hit college campuses particularly hard because many students’ immune systems are already weakened from lack of sleep and improper nutrition, Conrad says. "The flu shots give us the best chance to nip the virus before it can develop into a debilitating, one-, two- or three-week ordeal," she said. "A moment of mild pain from a vaccination is nothing compared to weeks of sickness and slow recovery from influenza."

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