Starting this week Albertans are being urged to get a free flu shot at area clinics and pharmacies. If you are not doing it to protect yourself, do it to protect the most vulnerable people around you.
The flu, while a painful nuisance to the average person, can be life threatening to vulnerable populations who are more prone to complications. This vulnerable group includes children under five years of age; people over 65 and those with chronic health conditions, like diabetes, congestive heart failure and asthma.
The flu can have critical consequences. Each year more than 12,000 Canadians will be hospitalized because of the flu, and 3,500 will die. In the last flu season there were 60 Albertans who died with confirmed influenza. Of those deaths, 17 were in the Edmonton zone.
St. Albert’s Dr. David Ryan says it’s important for both healthy and vulnerable people to get their flu shots in order to stop the spread of the viral infection. Ryan said there is no treatment for influenza so the best way to fight the virus is not to get it in the first place.
The flu virus can be spread up to two days before symptoms develop and up to five days after symptoms start. So you could spread the virus even before you know you have it.
Influenza is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs that is caused by a virus that can be spread by coughing, sneezing and sometimes even talking. Touching items that other people have touched, coughed or sneezed on can also spread the virus. The virus is most common in winter months.
If you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth and nose with your arm, or tissue. Wash your hands well with soap and water or use a hand-sanitizer that contains alcohol. If you do contract the flu, stay home and stay away from people.
Flu differs from a common cold in that symptoms usually come on suddenly and sufferers usually have high fever, chills and aches, headaches, extreme fatigue. Most people recover over a period of days or weeks. In severe cases complications like pneumonia, respiratory and kidney problems send some people to hospital. Some even die.
Yet fewer than one-third of Albertans got a flu shot last year. Alberta health care workers – who are at greater risk of both getting the flu and transmitting the flu – had an immunization rate of 61 per cent as of Feb. 29. Sturgeon hospital health care workers rated slightly higher with a 65 per cent rate of immunization.
The flu season is barely underway and so far this year Alberta has documented 61 lab-confirmed cases of influenza and 25 people who have been hospitalized due to flu.
A new vaccine is required each year because of the virus’s ability to mutate into new strains. Research is underway now to develop a vaccine that would not need to be updated every year, but that is not yet the case.
In the meantime the annual flu shot is an effective way of protecting yourself and others from getting sick and shots are available for free. Even if you are willing to risk suffering from the flu, do you want to risk being responsible for spreading an illness that could hospitalize or kill someone?
Sadly two-thirds of Albertans were prepared to take that risk last year.
