University Park, Pa. -- A clinic will be held in 205 Student Health Center on Penn State's University Park campus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, to distribute free H1N1 nasal spray vaccine to students 24 years of age and younger and without any chronic health condition. Appointments must be scheduled online through the University Health Services (UHS) Web site at http://www.sa.psu.edu/uhs/basics/online_access.cfm. H1N1 vaccinations are free of charge.
The H1N1 nasal spray is not appropriate for all students. Information about who should consider nasal spray is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/nasalspray.htm.
The final seasonal flu clinic for Penn State students on the University Park campus will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 11, in Alumni Hall at the HUB-Robeson Center for $26. No appointment is necessary. University officials are still awaiting word from the Pennsylvania Department of Health on the availability of H1N1 injectable vaccines for students that could be distributed through a large-scale clinic at University Park. Receiving the H1N1 vaccine is voluntary.
Vaccination against both seasonal and H1N1 influenza is recommended for college students. It is possible to contract both the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu since exposure to one does not give immunity to the other. The CDC provides information that can help students make informed decisions about vaccination at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination_qa_pub.htm.