FILE PHOTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Roger Ceragioli, an optician at the Steward Observatory's mirror lab,

As the country gears up for one of the worst flu seasons in years, students are encouraged to roll up their sleeves and feel the pinch of an annual flu shot.

"Australia got hit pretty hard (with the flu)," said Carrie Torrington, nurse coordinator and registered nurse at Campus Health Services. "We are expecting a pretty bad flu season."

In the United States more than 36,000 people die each year from the flu, a preventable illness, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to get the influenza vaccine, which can be obtained through Campus Health Services, Torrington said.

The flu is known to come on rather suddenly. Along with it comes a high fever, chills, fatigue and nausea, Torrington said.

"One minute you feel OK, then you get sick," she said. "You have never felt so sick in your whole life."

Rebecca Gutenthe, a retail and consumer science freshman, said she plans on getting the flu shot this year at Campus Health.

"I have had the flu before," Gutenthe said. "I am getting (the shot) this year because I don't want to get sick."

The flu shot is not recommended for everyone. People with chronic problems such as asthma should not get the shot, Torrington said.

"The vaccine is incubated in eggs," she said. "So people with egg allergies shouldn't get the shot."

Not all students are lining up at Campus Health to get the influenza vaccine.

"I am against over-immunization," said Amy Stejskal, a pre-physiological sciences sophomore. "I think your body should produce their own antibodies to fight the flu."

Stejskal said since there is not a big problem of people dying from the flu, people should just naturally endure it.

"People should just get it (the flu) and get sick naturally," Stejskal said. "That is what they make Advil for."

People shouldn't worry about getting sick from the virus because the flu shot is an inactive virus, Torrington said.

"You can't get sick from it," she said. "It triggers antibodies and it works with your own immune system."

The vaccine takes about two weeks to build up immunity to the flu, she said.

"You need to plan ahead," Torrington said. "Students who are traveling home this Thanksgiving or Christmas should get the shot soon."

It is recommended to receive vaccinations no later than November so that it will last the whole flu season, Torrington said.

The first cases of the flu usually hit the campus around December, she said.

"We usually don't get rid of it on campus until at least spring break," Torrington said.

A new nasal spray flu vaccine hit the market this year but Campus Health won't be carrying it anytime soon, Torrington said.

"Prices must go down considerably," she said. "They have to show us it works before we will use it."

Campus Health Services will be providing the flu shot to students and UA employees for $15, Torrington said. For students with insurance through the UA, the cost will be $10.

Anyone interested can receive the shot during normal business hours. No appointment is necessary.