This month is the time to get a flu shot before the influenza season hits in full force later this winter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 77 million doses of the flu vaccine already have been distributed across the country, and East Lansing residents can get theirs at Olin Health Center.
The vaccine has a subsidized price of $15 for MSU students.
"I've always thought the really old and the really young were the ones who needed it," said Lisa McDonald, who is studying to be a doctor.
The premedical sophomore said she has no intention of getting a flu shot.
She has survived her first winter at MSU without any nagging illnesses.
"I've never really gotten sick to the point where I needed to go to the doctor," she said.
This winter, she'll take her chances again.
Still, other MSU students, including construction management senior Donnie Edwards, say they have thought about getting flu shots to decrease the risk of sickness during the semester.
"It doesn't hurt anybody to get it," said Kris Reynolds, a health care employee at Delta Medical Center in DeWitt.
Olin's Allergy and Immunization Clinic is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Students don't need to make an appointment, according to Olin's Web site.
For students looking for a flu shot, the vaccine has become readily available months before the prime flu period begins in February.
This year, vaccine manufacturers will ship out 29 million to 34 million doses more than last year, according to the CDC.
At local hospitals, the vaccine ranges from $25 to $40, Reynolds said.
"It varies from place to place," she said, depending whether a person's insurance company will cover the cost.
But the flu shot isn't a must-have for the typical 20-year-old, she said.
People who are elderly or work in the health care industry are at a greater risk and should get the shot.
About two weeks after someone is vaccinated, antibodies develop that will protect the body against the flu.
The vaccine, which is made from the deadened influenza virus, could have short-term side effects, ranging from a low-grade fever to aches.
"Most people just experience some slight soreness with the injection," Reynolds said.
