Roll up your sleeves… it’s time for the flu shot
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/10/2016 (2712 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
As the annual flu shot blitz rolls out today through Thursday at community health clinics in the city, authorities have a target group in mind.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is urging people aged 18 to 40 to roll up their sleeves because that group rarely gets the vaccine. But as parents with young children, and often with older parents at home whom they care for, they might want to rethink that, WRHA’s medical officer of health Dr. Bunmi Fatoye said Monday.
“They’re at the age where they’re very healthy (but) getting the flu shot, even if it’s not for yourself, protects others,” Fatoye said.
“The key message is we can all be exposed to the virus at any point in time. And they come into contact with people who, for one reason or the other, are not able to get immunized or they suffer from some chronic illness and if they do get influenza, they might have complications,” the doctor said.
Different flu strains target different age groups. H3 strains tend to afflict people 65 or older, along with the very young. Others, such as H1 strains target healthy adults.
Across all age groups in Canada, an estimated 10 to 20 per cent of the populations gets the flu each year, or about 3.5 million to seven million Canadians.
Vaccines are reformulated every year in an attempt to keep pace with the changing flu virus. Typically, the shots cover the four strains predicted to be the most common in any given year.
This year, the shot covers two A strains, an H1 and an H3, as well as two B strains of flu.
“It’s a pretty safe vaccine,” Fatoye said, adding the most common side-effect is soreness at the injection site.
Flu shots are also available at physician offices, pharmacies, QuickCare clinics, walk-in clinics and community health offices.
Pharmacies don’t offer the shots to children under seven, but other providers do, Fatoye said.
The WRHA will make use of social media to get the message out. Monday, it launched a new app, ConnectedCare, which shows Winnipeg flu shot clinics.
ConnectedCare can be downloaded from the Apple App store for free.
alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
History
Updated on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 8:00 AM CDT: Corrects spelling of Dr. Fatoye's name