Well as the old cliché goes: it’s that time of year again.

A time for hot chocolate, cute fall wardrobes, big wool hats that swallow our heads and, of course, a time for skyrocketing medicine sales.

Yes, that’s right, it’s the time of the year where most of us start to feel like walking petri dishes filled with every germ imaginable and our throats are so sore we sound like chain-smoking crooners. Basically, it’s really not a pretty sight despite all the pretty fall colors that line the streets.

All joking set aside; this is actually a very dangerous time of year because most people really do get sick. Both Time (magazine) and the Chicago Tribune report that the biggest surge of illnesses occur during the fall, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, winter is also the prime season for the flu (influenza).

According to an article from the Chicago Tribune, the flu usually strikes between December and March, and other illnesses affect humans in the fall, including a serious form of a respiratory illness called RSV, gastrointestinal suffering caused by rotavirus and norvirus (which are infections including vomiting, high fevers and diarrhea) and everyone’s favorite, the common cold.

There are many reasons why people tend to get more severe sicknesses during the colder months, but the most important thing to keep in mind is what you can do to prevent getting sick, and being on campus offers quite a few resources for students to help them stay healthy.

For starters, wash your hands.

You know, it’s sort of embarrassing to remind college students—or anyone, for that matter—to wash their hands, but such is the world we live in.

The CDC says by washing your hands often, you will protect yourself from germs, and if soap and water aren’t available, use hand sanitizer.   

Other ways to take care of yourself and prevent getting sick include, covering your mouth and nose and avoiding contact with people who are sick.

Time also reports that keeping your nose warm can keep your immune defenses elevated. You can do this by wearing a scarf when you go outside into the cold, and doing some exercise and taking in as much vitamin D as possible helps, too.

However, the best thing you can do in order to prevent getting the flu is getting vaccinated.

Contrary to what people might think, the flu shot does help, and the best part about being a student on this campus? It’s free.

On Oct. 23 there will be an EIU Health Bash, and students can get their free flu shots. Take advantage of this opportunity. Did we mention it’s free?

The Tribune reported that medical experts say October is the ideal time to get a flu shot because it’s before flu season is expected to hit, and it takes two weeks for the vaccine to become effective.

Just to put it in perspective for you, last year was the worst flu season, and according to the CDC more than 900,000 people were hospitalized, and more than 80,000 people died from flu last season.

Also, according to the Tribune, 183 pediatric deaths were reported to the CDC last year; of that, nine were in Illinois.

If you’re not convinced that this is a big deal, then check out the exhibit at Booth Library on the 100th anniversary of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic that killed an estimated 100 million people.

No, the flu shot will not 100 percent guarantee that you will not get the flu, but it does prevent it if you follow the other precautions we talked about earlier in this editorial, and if you do get sick, it will make the flu less severe for you.

It’s easy to get sick, but it’s also easy to prevent sickness from happening. All you have to do is try and get a flu shot. It’s just that easy.