Whether you’re healthy as a horse or vulnerable to complications, it’s time to get a flu shot, according to Burnaby’s medical health officer.
“There’s the thought that, ‘Oh, I don’t get sick, so I don’t need to get a flu shot,’” Dr. Aamir Bharmal told the NOW, “but one of the reasons why we really suggest that people do get the flu shot in those circumstances is because we’re trying to protect the people who are at high risk. By healthy people getting a flu shot, they’re really showing that they’re caring; they’re protecting not only themselves but they’re also protecting their loved ones and others in the community who otherwise are at high risk of complications.”
That message came through loud and clear for Burnaby resident Karen Purdy, who got the shot at a Fraser Health flu clinic at the Bonsor 55+ seniors centre last week.
She said she was getting the shot so she wouldn’t get the flu, or, if she did, it wouldn’t be so bad.
“Plus, you have to consider the herd thing,” she said. “The more of us that can have the flu shot should take it for those who can’t have it.”
Groups vulnerable to serious influenza side effects – like pneumonia – include infants, young children, pregnant women, seniors and adults with chronic health conditions or compromised immune systems, according to Bharmal.
Flu shots are publicly funded for those people and for people who live with or are in close contact with them.
But Fraser Health recommends everyone over six months old should get the shot.
Flu season runs from early October to early spring, and Bharmal said getting a shot early is a good idea.
“Usually it takes a couple of weeks to just develop that protection for influenza, so, by getting it early, you have protection for that whole six- to seven-month period,” he said.
Last year’s flu vaccine was about a 40 per cent match with the dominant strain of influenza making the rounds.
Bharmal, who is also Fraser Health’s communicable disease lead, said that was a “decent” match since health officials shoot for a match between 40 and 60 per cent.
He said health officials can’t determine which strain of influenza is most prevalent and how closely the vaccine matches it until about halfway through the season.
The southern hemisphere, however, has just gone through a heavy flu season, with the H3N2 strain emerging as the dominant bug.
“That’s a strain that typically hits seniors a lot harder,” Bharmal said. “The southern hemisphere kind of gives us an idea of what we may expect into our season. It does give us some indication. It’s not always a 100 per cent, and it’s really too early to tell whether what occurred in Australia and New Zealand will be what we see here.”
To get a flu shot, book an appointment with your family doctor or local pharmacist or visit one of Fraser Health’s drop-in public health flu clinics.
Check for clinic locations and times with the B.C. Flu Clinic Locator at immunizebc.ca/clinics/flu.
