Although the flu shot has been offered for many years with proven success rates, many people still have mixed emotions or are misinformed about it.

"Although [the shot] does not offer any guarantees ... if they want to protect themselves as much as possible, they should get the shot," said Susan Mykita, a nurse in the American River College Health Center.

The flu vaccine is available as a shot or as a spray at the doctor's office or is available at the many clinics that are offered occasionally during the season. This year, American River College is offering a shot clinic to offer students, staff and faculty flu protection.

Certain people are vulnerable to get the virus, such as young children, people over the age of 50, people with weakened immune systems or respiratory issues, or who live in a nursing home. People who work in a field that requires lots of contact with many people, such as the ARC Campus Police or the ARC Child Development Center, often are good candidates for the shot to help prevent the spread of this highly contagious virus.

"The staff is strongly encouraged to get flu shots," said Diane Cromwell, the program director of the Child Development Center.

With the frequent contact with

many different children all day, Cromwell says it helps to keep the staff protected from getting it or passing it on to others.

Influenza, or the flu as it's more commonly known, has been around for centuries. According to Medline Plus, a web site run in conjunction with the National Institute of Health and U.S. National Library of Medicine, this virus is passed from having contact with a surface, such as touching a table or shaking someone's hand then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth or by breathing in airborne particles of the virus. After being exposed to the virus, symptoms can appear anywhere from one to seven days later, but on average, appear two to three days later.  

Symptoms can be worse than the common cold. The flu's main symptoms are a high fever, chills, sweats, a cough, and body aches. Sometimes a sore throat or nausea accompanies it or a second bacterial infection, such as a sinus infection or pneumonia, occur. These symptoms usually last anywhere from two to seven days. Most people are bedridden and will miss several days of work or school due to this nasty little virus.

People have several options to get though this flu season. The first is to get either a flu shot or the flu spray. Medline says the flu shot or spray is a vaccine created each year based on the three common strains that researchers feel will be most prevalent during the winter

months. The shot contains a dead virus while the spray has a weakened form of the virus. Within two weeks of receiving this vaccine, the body is immune from these strains. 

Although most people are eligible to get the shot and are strongly encouraged to get one, some people should not get the shot and need to speak with their doctor before receiving one. People who should not receive the shot are: people carrying a fever or whose immune system is weakened; a woman in her first trimester of pregnancy; a person who has had a severe reaction to the flu shot or has had a severe reaction to chicken eggs or egg protein, or someone who has been paralyzed by Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Another way to prevent people from getting the flu (or any other illness) this season is frequent hand washing, coughing into your elbow (not your hand), taking vitamins, and staying home when you are not feeling well. Staying home and resting helps your body fight off the infection faster and prevents you from spreading it to others.

Now what can you do if you get the flu? Once you start to feel the classic symptoms of the flu, schedule an appointment with the doctor. If it is diagnosed in 24-48 hours, taking an anti viral medicine known as Tamiflu or Relenza can reduce symptoms and shorten it by a day.