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Fall is here, so is flu season It's hard not to notice when flu season hits on a college campus. Allison Sharpe was so sick she could barely make it to the bathroom, let alone to the kitchen to get something to eat. Huddled in bed with the remote while her roommate got ready for a party, Allison was not alone in her suffering. In fact, her neighbors on either side were also sick with the flu, as well as her best friend in the apartment upstairs. Someone suggested gathering the group of sufferers together for a movie, but no one could make it out of bed to switch rooms. The above is a familiar scene during the fall months. Some 65 million elementary school children, college students, working adults and elderly persons suffer from the flu each year. Allison and her friends lived through about six days of misery that included fever, headaches, chills, aches and pains, but there is also a more serious side to the flu. In February, Allison's grandfather came down with the same symptoms. At the age of 80, his body was less equipped to handle the virus. His condition became so serious that he was hospitalized, and several days later he died. Despite warnings from doctors and researchers, few people worry about dying from the flu. But about 20,000 Americans suffer this fate each year. Many of these deaths are a result of the serious complications that flu can cause, such as pneumonia and bacterial infections.  The risk of hospitalization and death is highest for the elderly, young children and persons with chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma. The answer? Get vaccinated. Students can get their flu vaccination at the Student Health Office between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. For information, call 792-3664.    Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.