As flu season approaches, UNC is offering the opportunity to get a flu shot at various locations on campus.
Influenza is a virus that causes infection in the respiratory system and can affect the entire body. In most cases, viruses have little effect other than fever and cold-like symptoms. However, in some cases, they can become more aggressive and cause more serious consequences, including death.
So was Alana Jaksic, a 5-year-old girl who died of complications from the virus in 2003.
“At the time, I had no idea that people could die from the flu,” said her father, Zachary Yaksic.
To raise awareness of the dangers of not getting vaccinated, Zachary Yaksic is the founder of Alana, a nonprofit organization specializing in influenza education and making vaccination easy and affordable for everyone. A foundation has been established.
In 2014, the Alana Foundation launched the University of Michigan Influenza Challenge, which aims to increase the amount of vaccinations administered to college students. A year later, they expanded the challenge nationally and named it the Alana Jaksic National University/University Influenza Vaccination Challenge. UNC joined the ranks in 2018 and has won the Midsize College Division ever since through 2022.
UNC administered approximately 7,000 flu vaccinations to students, faculty and staff, according to information about the 2023-24 Challenge.
“We study positive externalities (in economics), and one of the things we were looking at was measles,” said first-year student Anushka Jose. “And (the professor) said that if 94 to 96 percent of the population received the measles vaccine, no one would be able to receive the vaccine.”
Jose is referring to herd immunity. This is a scientific concept that if the majority of people become immune, either through a vaccine or exposure to a virus, the virus will no longer infect anyone and will effectively disappear.
