As the weather gets colder, clinics and hospitals in Champaign-Urbana will battle the flu bug once again with the help of vaccinations.

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a virus that can be spread from person to person and causes fever, coughing, headaches, chills, sore throat, sore muscles and other symptoms.

This flu season "is going to be a bad one," said Erika Bishop, staff nurse at McKinley Health Center. An estimated 10 to 20 percent of people in the United States will get the flu during this season, according to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Web site.

Vaccinations for the flu work by injecting a person with a dead virus.

"Foreign proteins in the dead virus make antibodies against the flu," Bishop said.

In turn, the antibodies kill the flu or other viruses that attempt to attack a person's body.

Flu shots have been available since Oct. 1 on a walk-in basis at the Immunization and Travel Clinic at McKinley Health Center during regular clinic hours, which are Monday — Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. According to the McKinley Web site, patients will also be able to receive the flu vaccine in McKinley's other clinics besides the immunization department when they see their physician or nurse practitioner as long as they do not have a fever or other conditions that might cause them harm.

McKinley is also sponsoring flu clinics. Michelle McCloud of the Immunization and Travel Clinic said the clinic vaccinated about 10,000 people last year and they are expecting around 12,000 people this year.

"We've already immunized between six and seven thousand people, so we're well on our way," she said. "I encourage people to get it."

As with most treatments, the vaccine has minor side effects including muscle soreness, fever and headaches.

McCloud said the vaccines will be administered at "outreach centers" at various places around campus so that students can have easier access to the shots.

"It's a lot easier than having to go all the way to the clinic," she said. "(The centers) are there so people wouldn't have to go so far away."

The locations and times are available through McKinley's automated telephone line at 333-2701. The clinics will be held at IMPE, the Digital Computing Lab (DCL), the University YMCA, the Well-U Room in the Illini Union and selected residence halls. The immunization schedule can also be found at the McKinley Health Center Web site at http://www.mhc.uiuc.edu.

Off-campus, Carle Hospital will also be administering flu shots in the community for a $15 fee at various locations. Carle employee health nurse Bev Knapp said that the hospital had 50,000 doses of the flu vaccine at the start of the vaccination program, and that there are 5,000 doses left. Knapp said the flu vaccinations are a big project within the community and it is important that everyone, especially small children and the elderly, receive the shot.

"It's important for the whole family to get the flu shot," she said. "If not, you just pass (the flu) around."

Knapp also said that college students can benefit from having the shot as well as the elderly.

"College students stay up late, study late and may not eat right, so their immune systems may function at low levels," she said.

Allison Budd, freshman in engineering, said she received the flu shot to avoid the time constraints of the flu.

"With all the homework I have, I don't have time to be sick," she said.

For fast immunizations, there are "drive-thru" immunization clinics for people who might not have as much time to walk into a clinic. One such drive-thru clinic was held recently at The Vineyard Christian Fellowship Church. Knapp said there were about 4,000 vaccinations done at the church.

"We have good relations with Carle, and we feel it's a good way to help Carle and the community," said Brian Harvey, Vineyard administrative pastor.