If hearing it from the Chief Medical Officer of Health was not enough, here are two more prominent health care professionals urging you to get your free flu shot.
“I know that the flu shot is one of the best ways to prevent influenza and help to keep ourselves and the people around us healthy,” said Jeremy Stevenson.
We are right in the middle of flu season and North East Local Health Integration Network CEO Stevenson and Dr. Paul Preston, VP Clinical have taken steps to ensure they’re protected by getting their flu shots.
“Anyone can catch the flu; getting vaccinated is a safe, free way to avoid getting and spreading the virus,” said Dr. Paul Preston.
Everyone six months and older is encouraged to get the vaccine, and it can be especially important for people who are at high risk of complications that can lead to pneumonia or hospitalizations from the flu. They include young children, seniors, pregnant women, and people with underlying health conditions.
Influenza, or the flu, is a contagious respiratory infection that’s caused by a virus. Symptoms can include fever, coughing, sore throat, and body aches. In Canada, it generally occurs in the late fall and winter months. It’s estimated that the flu causes more than 12,000 hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths in Canada each year.
It’s best to get the flu shot sooner than later, as it takes the body two weeks to establish an immune response to the vaccine.
Flu shots are free and available through primary care providers, local public health units, participating pharmacies, and workplace wellness clinics. Children between the ages of six months and four years old can be vaccinated only at a primary health care provider’s office or local public health unit.
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