Flu Season: 5 Facts

1. The FLU is much worse than a bad cold.

Commonly known as "Flu," influenza is an airways infection caused by the influenza virus. It is easily caught, and spread, and the symptoms are much more serious than cold symptoms.

2. Immunization is the most effective prevention

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends the flu vaccine for all persons. The flu presents an ongoing burden to our healthcare system in the winter months. Vaccination reduces the seriousness of the disease should you contract it and, at this time, is the only preventative measure that has been proven to reduce the rates of flu-related complications and deaths. 

3. Protecting yourself protects others

As more people get vaccinated, the influenza virus has less chance to multiply and circulate in the population. If you don't get the flu, you cannot spread it to friends, family and others around you. Thus, benefiting those who may be at risk of severe complications from the flu, such as the elderly or those with weakened immune systems.

4. New Flu strains mean a new vaccine each year

Sadly, yes. The flu vaccine produced each year is different and created with flu strains predicted to be the most troublesome this year. The best predictor is based on what has happened around the world in other countries flu season this year. Influenza activity has been unusually low these last two years with all the COVID protocols in place. People were not spreading COVID or Flu. Now that those have been removed we have seen a much higher uptake of the flu in places such as Australia with about 82% of laboratory confirmed influenza being due to influenza A. 

5. For some individuals, immunization is particularly important

This includes many:

• Anyone with chronic heart or lung disease, such us asthma, COPD or cystic fibrosis
• Anyone with diabetes or metabolic disorder, cancer, kidney disease, blood disorder or a weakened immune system
• Anyone who is 65 or older
• Anyone who lives, works or volunteers in a nursing home, chronic care facility, retirement home or other health care setting
• Emergency service workers
• Anyone traveling to where the Flu virus is circulating
• Healthy children between 6 and 23 months.

The flu virus is naturally not something that you want to catch if you can avoid it.

Stop in for a flu vaccine at any of our locations. Walk in's are welcome. Contact the location near you.