Walk around campus and you will hear a symphony of coughs, sniffles, and sneezes. Yes, it’s flu season. According to Health Canada, about 10 to 25 per cent of Canadians will be affected by the influenza virus every year, costing the healthcare system millions. If you assume influenza causes nothing more than a few days of discomfort, think again. The World Health Organization notes that each year a quarter million people worldwide die from influenza.

Influenza exists in two main strains: Influenza A, which makes you seriously ill and Influenza B, the milder version that affects most of us every year. The influenza virus is highly unstable and prone to mutation. The virus you are potentially exposed to one year will be different from what you may come into contact with in the future.

There are many ways to prevent falling ill this flu season. One of the best preventative measures is the flu shot. The flu shot is a vaccine containing three strains of the virus that scientists believe will be prevalent in the coming flu season. They are used to stimulate the immune system to develop antibodies against the flu. These viruses are inactivated, meaning that you can’t get the flu from the flu shot. Keep in mind that if you’re allergic to chicken eggs, you will want to avoid taking it, as the vaccine is developed using eggs. About one in a million people vaccinated with the flu shot develop a nervous disease known as Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). However, most patients recover and there have been fewer deaths reported due to GBS, compared to the influenza virus.

In addition to the flu shot, the flu vaccine can also be administered through a nasal spray known as the Live Attenuated Influenza Virus (LAIV). This nasal spray is similar to the shot with only one exception. Instead of using inactivated or dead virus strains, the nasal spray contains weakened live strains. Similar to the flu shot, the LAIV assists the immune system in developing anti-bodies to combat influenza. As the LAIV is a live virus, it is only recommended for healthy individuals between the ages of five to 49. The LAIV and the flu shot do not significantly differ in terms of their effectiveness.

If you’re considering staying sniffle-free this season, you should think about getting vaccinated. It’s free and could prevent you from falling seriously and inconveniently ill, especially during exams.