Flu Vaccine Challenge
2024-2025 8th Annual NJ College & University Flu Challenge
Participate in New Jersey's Annual College & University Flu Challenge.
NOTE: The deadline for submitting the student survey is December 31.
NJCU Wins 2022-23 New Jersey College and University Flu Challenge
New Jersey City University (NJCU) and its Health and Wellness Center were the winners of the sixth annual New Jersey College & University Flu Challenge held during the 2022-2023 flu season and sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) Vaccine Preventable Disease Program (VPDP).
Why You Should Get a Flu Vaccine
Vaccination is the first and most important step to protect against the flu.
Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a flu vaccination each year to protect themselves and their loved ones against the flu.
The flu can be serious.
It is a contagious disease which affects the lungs and can lead to serious illness, including pneumonia. Even healthy people can get sick enough to miss work or school for a significant amount of time, or even be hospitalized.
The close-contact environment that college students live in can lead to rapid spread of influenza.
So it is important for students to get immunized to help protect the university community.
The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu.
The vaccine is either made with an inactivated virus, or no virus at all. The most common side effects from a flu shot are a sore arm and sometimes a low fever or achiness. If you do experience them at all, these side effects are mild and short-lived.
The minor pain of a flu shot is nothing compared to the suffering that can be caused by the flu.
The flu can make you very sick for several days—you could even be hospitalized. Plus, you could make others in your family or community ill when you get the flu.
Flu vaccines are safe.
Flu vaccines have been given for more than 50 years and they have a very good safety record. Hundreds of millions of flu vaccines have been given safely.