Chris Richardson

Reporter

A vaccine presentation was held in Room 206 of Pohl from 9-10 a.m. on Oct. 16.

The purpose of the presentation was to inform students about getting vaccinated and the purpose of certain vaccines. Matthew Reeves, a graduate assistant in health and kinesiology, and Cole Phillips, an undergraduate intern with the public health education department, gave the presentation.

Reeves stated that he and Phillips felt that topic of vaccines were important. Even though Mississippi has a really high rate of vaccinations, they felt that it was vital to remind people why vaccines are necessary.

“We really just wanted to talk about vaccines and how important they are, and we have such a high rate because of the laws requiring, especially with children, to have vaccines, but there is also adult vaccinations that a lot of people need to keep up with, so we can all stay protected,” said Phillips.

Phillips said that there are a lot of controversies surrounding vaccines that they wanted the community to feel free to learn more about.

Students and community members attended the event. Since it was early in the morning, coffee and granola bars were provided. Kenyette Chandler, a graduate student in the health education program, was one of those in attendance.

“The most interesting thing about the vaccine presentation was that I did not know that people that are 50 and older who have had the chicken pox, they can still get shingles and when they get shingles, it’s very painful, and they can sometimes still feel that pain years and years later,” shared Chandler.

Reeves and Phillips were particularly grateful to Dr. George Pinchuk, professor of biology at The W, for his assistance in the presentation. They credited him for his help and thanked him for answering questions about vaccines at the event.