Pharmacists say: get your shot, it’s not too late
With winter comes the inevitable flu season. Pharmacists in Pictou County are recommending anyone who hasn’t yet gotten their seasonal influenza vaccination to do so.
There are plenty of opportunities, with pharmacies all over the area still offering flu shots.
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health said there has been an uptick in flu activity in Nova Scotia, and that things are expected to remain busy until the usual end of the season in March or April.
“The last few weeks we’ve started to see an increase which means we’re entering that six- to eight-week period of peak flu activity,” Strang said. “We normally see it in late December or early January, so we’re right on track and we’ll look for that to continue until late February or early March.”
Jack Davies, a pharmacist with Poulain’s Pharmacy in Stellarton, says that it may be more complicated than that: “They’re saying it’s peak flu season now, but I came across an article saying it could peak again, sometime in February,” said Davies.
Regardless of when the peak truly occurs, Davies recommends everyone get their flu shot – especially those in the high-risk group. They include the elderly, people with diseases and the infirm.
Another concern with this year’s flu is that there are two strains circulating, and that vaccination only protects people against one of them. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, confirmed that this year’s vaccine may be limited in how well it can protect against a strong strain of influenza A that appears to be the most prominent one going around the country.
“There are two strains affecting the general population. The belief is that we only have efficacy for one strain,” said Davies. “One vaccine is effective and the other’s not. Either way, it’s absolutely a good call to get vaccinated. It’s far better to be safe than sorry, because you don’t know what you’re going to get hit with, if you get it.”
Strang is also of the opinion that some protection from the flu is better than none, and recommends everyone get a shot.
“Even though we get lower effectiveness against the H3 strain of the flu it still provides protection against the H1 strain and the B strain,” said Strang. “Even if it’s not as effective against the H3 strain, having partial protection is better than having no protection. We know people are likely to get it less severe if they’ve been vaccinated as opposed to not being vaccinated.”
Despite uncertainties and worries about the flu season this year, Davies sees a silver lining in the response to it. People have taken the flu very seriously this year. He noted that a great deal more people than usual have been visiting the pharmacy he works at, looking for seasonal flu shots.
“It’s definitely more people than in the past,” said Davies. “They’ve heeded the warnings, and are very well prepared.”
Two-thirds of the flu cases to date are of the H3N2 strain – or strain B – something that, according to Strang, usually doesn’t appear until the end of the flu season. It is the worse of the two flu strains to contract, and the vaccines available this season are less effective against it.
“Because of the predominance of H3 this year, like last year, we’re likely to see a more severe flu season but there’s nothing to suggest we’re still going to be within the range of a normal flu season,” said Strang.
Typically, a flu vaccine takes a couple of weeks to be most effective.
Flu shots are completely free, and requires only a visit to the doctor or the pharmacy.
To lower your susceptibility to influenza, doctors recommend frequent hand-washing, and staying at home, if sick, to prevent the spread of the flu.
With files from the Amherst News