Health experts ready to educate Albertans on flu-shot importance
Those who are immunized have better chance of avoiding nasty bug
Snow on the ground may give the impression of winter, but health officials insist on calling it by its real name: flu season.
“We’re not seeing massive numbers at this moment, but we know the season is fast approaching and so we’re starting to see a few cases,” Dr. Martin Lavoie, Alberta’s deputy chief medical officer of health, told a news conference Wednesday.
In the past month, there have been 54 confirmed cases of the flu and 17 people have been hospitalized. To keep these numbers from growing, Alberta Health Services is making its annual push to have people immunized.
Clinics will start giving out the shot to people aged six months and older starting Monday.
Last year, just 27 per cent of Albertans received the flu shot, down from 30 per cent the year before.
This year, after public consultations, the province bought 1.6 million doses in hopes the facts about the flu will increase demand.
“Albertans wanted us to give it to them straight. How serious is influenza? How does it impact us? What can I do about it? And how well does immunization work?” said Dr. Gerry Predy, AHS senior medical officer of health.
Last year’s vaccine was about 50-per-cent effective against the strains of flu circulating in the province — about average, according to Lavoie. For those who think that number isn’t high enough to convince them to get stuck with a needle, he has a simple message.
“If you get immunized, you get a 50- to 70-per-cent chance of actually not getting sick or getting very sick. If you don’t get immunized, you have no protection,” he said.
For health-care workers, the message has only been about twice as effective. Last year, just 60 per cent of AHS employees were immunized, well below the 80-percent goal. Predy said the healthy authority plans to push harder this year, although Lavoie stressed the province doesn’t plan to make it mandatory for front-line workers.
“We favour health-care workers having a choice instead of it being forced on them,” Lavoie said.
For youngsters between six months and seven years old, there is one extra choice.
The nasal spray Flu Mist was given the stamp of approval by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, a Canadian panel of specialists who found the spray to be as effective as the injection.
The vaccine attacks only the few strains of influenza that are predicted to be most prevalent this year. However, Predy said there could be a time in the near future when a yearly vaccine isn’t needed.
“There’s research underway to develop what’s called a universal vaccine,” he said.
A universal vaccine would target the part of the virus that doesn’t mutate, meaning people could have just one shot and not have to go back year to year.
“The research is getting close. In the next three years, I suspect we will see a universal sort of flu vaccine that you don’t have to get every year. At least, we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Until then, clinics offering the jab can be found online through the AHS website and at selected pharmacies.