Keeping the flu away this Christmas

As the holidays approach, Alberta Health Services is reminding people that it is also influenza season and that getting vaccinated is the best way to stay healthy for the holidays.
“Without a doubt, influenza immunization is the number one best way for you to protect yourself and others against influenza,” said Dr. Judy MacDonald Alberta Health Services’ Medical Officer of Health for the Calgary Zone.
“Every year we can anticipate influenza will visit us again and without fail it comes around,” she said, “So every year we have influenza and every year we have influenza vaccines that are formulated to protect against the strains of influenza that we expect to see.”
This reminder to get vaccinated comes on the heels of the first confirmed influenza death in the Calgary Zone.
Influenza is caused by a virus and is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs and can be fatal.
The flu vaccine protects primarily against the strains predicted to be circulating each year.
The vaccine does not provide perfect protection but will still provide a reduction in severity and length of the disease in people with a decreased response to the vaccine.
It also provides some of the same reductions against other strains not specifically included in the vaccine.
Protection against the flu starts about 2 weeks after vaccination. It won’t prevent a person from getting sick if they have already been exposed to influenza prior to vaccination.
“If you don’t get influenza vaccine then you’ve got no protection,” said MacDonald.
By getting the vaccine people are also protecting those around them from the disease
“It’s also protecting others that you may be in contact with,” she said.
By keeping yourself immunized and not spreading the disease you help reduce the potential for exposure to the disease by high risk groups.
“You’re not going to take influenza to them,” said MacDonald.
“Your decision to immunize yourself has broader farther reaching benefits than just you alone,” she said.
High risk groups include children under five-years, the elderly over 65-years, people with allergies to influenza vaccine, chronic health conditions especially lung disease and those who had a reduced immune response to the vaccine.
“We really strongly recommend this for,” said MacDonald.
Pregnant women are also at higher risk of influenza.
“They can certainly and safely get influenza vaccines at any point in their pregnancy,” she said.
The vaccine will also help to protect their baby after they are born.
The vaccine must be taken annually due to the changeable nature of the influenza virus over the course of the year.
“That’s why every year there’s a slightly different formulation of the influenza vaccine,” said MacDonald.
She said that there is research going on to develop what is being called a universal influenza vaccine.
This vaccine would focus on the parts of the flu virus that don’t change.
“The vaccine would then invoke immunity or immune response to those parts and then we wouldn’t have to have this yearly influenza vaccine,” she said.
This research is still in the early stages.
Other ways to stay healthy and keep other seasonal diseases at bay, such as the cold and Noro virus, are to wash hands frequently, maintain healthy sleep habits, a good diet and exercise.
It’s also important that when one does succumb to an illness that they stay home.
“You get better faster and you’re not sharing your germs with others, especially at Christmas,” said MacDonald.
The symptoms of influenza start suddenly and can include: fever, sore throat, runny nose, cough, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and being tired. Vomiting and diarrhea is common in younger children.
Influenza can affect anyone with 12,000 people across Canada admitted to hospital annually.
The flu is responsible for about 3,500 deaths each year.
In Chestermere influenza vaccines are available at Chestermere Safeway Pharmacy, Shoppers Drug Mart and Remedy’s Rx.