It’s almost that time to roll up your sleeves and wait for the prick.
Flu season is just around the corner and the government is hoping to achieve an immunization rate of 40 per cent of Albertans – five per cent lower from last year.
But what is behind that decrease? Dr. Ada Bennett, acting chief medical officer for Alberta Health Services, explained that it’s a balancing act between precipitating how many people will get vaccinated and the potential waste of tax dollars on vaccines that don’t get used.
“We acknowledge that for various reasons people might not wish to have it or are not be able to get to it. So it’s a fine balance between making sure that anybody who wants it gets it when they want it, but also make sure we don’t create waste.”
AHS reported only 30 per cent of people received the shot from September to April 30 last year. However, Bennett noted that was an increase from around 27 per cent in the 2013/2014 season.
“We’re getting there; slowly but surely.”
Over 100 Albertans died last season from flu-related illnesses, observed as a record high for the past two decades in a CBC report.
Cochrane’s Grand Avenue Pharmacy will be gearing up for the coming flu season in the next few weeks. Shivpaul Nijjar, clinical pharmacist at Grand Avenue, said the government may be trying to be more realistic, but agreed that the lower target shouldn’t dissuade people.
“I still think that it’s really important to get as many people immunized as possible. Influenza is one of the most commonly preventable illnesses with a government-funded vaccine, it’s best to get that protection.”
He said that although the very young and the elderly are most at risk from the flu, people in the middle demographics, such as teenagers and adults, should still get vaccinated, especially those with preexisting medical condition such as diabetes.
Although those people may not show symptoms, Nijjar said getting vaccinated stops them from becoming influenza carriers and infecting the more vulnerable.
The biggest concern people have regarding the vaccinations is their safety, he related.
“A lot of people questioned whether they get the flu from the flu shot, which is a common myth. When you do get the shot you may get some side effects, like some mild influenza-like symptoms, but it would never cause full-fledge flu.”
People may experience headache, pain or redness at the injection site, or chills, but these side effects are not indicative of contracting influenza, Nijjar said.
He expects to receive around 2,000 people this season. Last year the pharmacy saw around 1,200 walk through its doors.
Flu clinics will open across Alberta Oct. 20.
