Sneezing, sniffling and coughing are the background noises in most schools at this time of the year. Flu season is a time of year hospitals and doctors dread. The flu easily contagious and can worsen into an epidemic that lasts throughout the Winter months.

Many people forget that they may be able to prevent contracting the flu virus by getting vaccinated. It does not a guarantee good health, but it can help protect your immune system. The question is whether students feel it is necessary to get the flu shot, or any vaccinations at all. Some question the safety of vaccinations and whether they can do more harm than good.

Students, and even adults, do not feel the need to get the flu shot due to not knowing the complications they prevent.

“Last time I got it was last year. Sometimes it does help but sometimes it doesn’t because it causes reactions and some patients get sick as a result,” junior Rana Abouelhagag said.

Some get the vaccination one year and still contract the virus so they opt out of getting the vaccination in years after because they do not think it is effective.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “complications of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes.”

The truth is that it depends on the person and the category of flu that is active that season. The factors that play into the effectiveness of the shot is your age, how strong your immune system and when you received it.

Data for who prevented the flu varies year to year because of the types of viruses that circulate.

However, vaccinations for the whooping cough and other illnesses like polio are easy to administer because the disease is noticeable and there are not too many cases of these types of illnesses.

For those who are wary about getting a flu shot because they are scared of needles, then a nasal form is also offered.

“I got the flu vaccination, the kind you inhale,” junior Saroona Khilji said.

The safety of the some vaccinations is also questioned. Most babies in the U.S. get vaccinations for the first few years of their lives. Children and babies are susceptible to illnesses because of their weak and still growing immune system.

A few years ago The Anti-Vaccination movement started by a former model, Jenny McCarthy, has shaped a controversial way of parenting. Some families are choosing not to have their children be vaccinated due to thinking that it will cause autism. Research has even been falsified to back up this claim.

British physician, Andrew Wakefield, published a report that linked the rubella, mumps and measles vaccines to autism.

“Wakefield’s falsified claims remain at the core of a stubbornly popular anti-vaccination movement. To this day, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many people believe that vaccines are the principal cause of autistic spectrum disorders,” The Nation said.

In the fright of a child contracting autism, parents are harming their children because these illnesses can cause more problems in the future.

This movement has even caused a whooping cough outbreak. There have not been many cases since the 1970s but now in some areas, it is rising again.

According to the CDC, “In 2012, 48,277 cases of pertussis were reported.”

In some parts of the U.S., pertussis has decreased but in areas like Washington D.C, it is on the rise.

Of course, there are other ways besides a vaccination to prevent the flu or other illnesses.

Registered Public Health Nurse Shira Jorgensen gave some advice to keep you from getting sick. “Washing hands is very important, really it is our first line of defense against illness,” Jorgensen said. “Also if you’re sick, stay home so you don’t come to school and infect other people. Cover your sneezes and your coughs. If you have a fever over 100 degrees, do not come to school.”

To prevent getting sick, keep up to date with all your immunizations and try to get a flu shot every year. There is a chance that it may not work, but consider getting your vaccination just in case there is an outbreak in the future.