The ACU Medical and Counseling Care Clinic is offering flu shots for $20 to keep students and staff healthy during flu season.

The flu attacks the body and can last from a few days up to weeks, according to the Center for Disease Control website. There are some common misconceptions regarding the virus, and the clinic has set out to educate students.

Stated on fliers posted in the clinic are some comments about vaccinations that have been proven false:

• The flu shot can actually cause the flu,
• It’s better to get the flu than the vaccine,
• I’ve already had the flu. I can’t get it again,
• Flu shots don’t work.

Multiple strains of the flu are circulating, and the vaccine is the best defense against infection. Seventy-nine cases of the flu were reported from the clinic on campus last year as a result of not getting vaccinated.

“This year will hopefully be different,” said Abby Pimentel, administrative assistant of the clinic. “Thus far, we have seen lots of students choosing to get the flu shot.”

Nursing students are required to get the flu vaccine this year.

“I always get my shot; my parents have always made sure I had it, so being required to this year doesn’t make a difference,” said Janeth Dena, junior nursing major from Fort Worth. “With working around patients, I think it’s a great idea to make sure we are all vaccinated.”

CNBC reported that an estimated 44 percent of American adults get vaccinated. Among children, the rate is 59 percent.

Every year, a new flu vaccine is created based on the strain going around. Last year, the vaccine didn’t quite match up with that strain, making it less effective. Research is becoming more advanced, and medical experts will soon be able to create a vaccine that fights them all.

October is the beginning of the flu season, which lasts into January. The vaccine takes about two weeks to become effective.

The ACU Clinic is open for patients from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Students can contact the clinic to make an appointment at 325-674-2625 or schedule an appointment at 849 Coliseum Way, behind Moody Coliseum.