Cerritos College Student Health Services are providing $5 flu shots for students and $15  for staff.

An appointment is not necessary to recieve a flu shot and they will be available from November to April.

The flu, or “Influenza”, is used to describe a particular type of virus that causes more severe illnesses than just the common cold.

Influenza is a common respiratory illness and usually occurs during the winter months.

Immunizations can be beneficial for those who suffer from chronic diseases from the heart, lungs [including asthma], kidneys and/or diabetes or HIV.

The flu and/or colds are not merely spread by coughing or sneezing.

Colds are spread also hand-to-hand. Shaking, holding, or touching the hand of an affected person then touching the eyes or nose puts a person at risk of infection.

The symptoms include sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, muscle aches, fever, headache and loss of appetite. The aches and pains that come with the cold are usually signs that the body is fighting the infection.

The symptoms usually last two to seven days but the cough may last longer and will get dry while the fever goes away and the illness improves.

Some medications to help the flu are ibuprofen for the muscle aches, antihistamine helps with congestion and cough medicine with dextromethorphan and guiafenisin. The evidence of cough medicine may not be strong enough to show its effectiveness.

Washing the hands frequently will help spreading the infection and drinking plently of liquids, like water or juice, can help soothe throat aches.

Eating soup, hot liquids and taking long hot showers also help to ease congestion and coughs.

A doctor should be consulted if a person has high or persistent fever, asthma and cough up green phlegm, severe headaches, difficulty holding own liquids, or if the person has not gotten better after a period of time.