Yesterday the Skyline College Health Center offered $20 flu vaccination shots to Skyline students.

“There [are] three strains that the Center for Disease Control thinks are going to be prevalent this year,” said visiting nurse Dina Valenzuela of the San Mateo Office of Sutter Visiting Nurses. This flu season includes the Soloman Islands and Wisconsin A-strains and the Malaysia B-strain.

“There [are] always new strains of viruses,” said student Kyle Gerhart, 17. “They mutate.” This makes it very important to get the flu shot every year, because last year’s vaccine will not necessarily protect you from this year’s flu.

Persons experiencing cold or flu symptoms should not get the shot, for it will only make them sicker; a preservative-free vaccine is available for pregnant women.

It is unfortunate that Skyline offers the flu vaccine to students for only one day every year, because most of the interviewed students were unaware that the shot was available on-campus.

Although signs were posted in the Health Center, Skyline student Erica Blandino, 22, thinks there should have been advertisements elsewhere on campus.

“They should give a notice out to . . . all faculties, like an e-mail,” said Blandino, “so they can announce it to their classes.”