It’s midway through flu season, but Searle Student Health Service still has nearly 500 doses of the influenza vaccine — and university health officials are saying it’s better to get vaccinated late than never.

Dr. Donald Misch, executive director of Northwestern health services, said the doses remaining include about 35 doses of the flu shot and 450 doses of FluMist, a new intranasal form of the vaccine.

It’s important for students to be vaccinated due to the contagious nature of influenza and the fact that many students live in dormitories, Misch said.

“You don’t just help yourself,” Misch said. “You help the people around you. You’re doing something for your friends.”

Searle already has administered more than 1,700 flu vaccinations this academic year. The vaccine is most effective when administered in October or November, because flu season starts in December and the body needs about two weeks to develop protection after vaccination.

But Misch said it is still worthwhile for students to be vaccinated.

“The flu season can go through March,” he said. “And people have been really sick.”

Students can get a vaccination Monday through Friday at the Searle, 633 Emerson St., between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Vaccinations cost $10 and an appointment is not necessary. Students must show a valid WILDcard to receive the vaccine and should pay with exact change or a check.

The flu virus affects the respiratory system, and symptoms include fever, headache and fatigue. The virus has hit the United States particularly hard this year, when a new strain of the virus, dubbed the “Fuji” strain, appeared.

— Alison Knezevich