Office of Public Health urges residents to get flu shot
Flu shots are free for many New Brunswickers
The annual flu season is once again here, with the preliminary effects starting to be felt in western Canada, and local health officials are urging New Brunswickers to get their flu shots.
Shelley Landsburg, the director of communicable disease and control in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, said this year's strain of the flu, H3N2, can have devastating consequences for certain members of the population.
"It tends to cause more serious illness with the elderly, people who are [immunosuppressed], people who aren't as healthy and so you start to see more outbreaks in nursing homes," said Landsburg.
Symptoms of influenza, which is considered a respiratory disease, include aches, pains, chills, fever, coughing and a sore throat.
While some have brushed aside the risk of the flu, Landsburg said people should not treat the disease lightly.
"It does tend to cause hospitalizations and deaths every year and what we're finding, through our monitoring system, is that a lot of people aren't getting the flu shot and probably over half of those people that get admitted to hospital as a result of flu haven't had their vaccine," said Landsburg.
Even if you are a normally healthy adult, who would most likely survive the flu quite easily, it's important to remember those who aren't as healthy.
Healthy adults getting the flu shot helps others by contributing to herd immunity.
"If you have a herd of animals, and one gets immunized, that helps protect others from getting the disease," said Landsburg.
The flu shot is free for New Brunswickers who meet some specifications, such as being a healthcare provider, have a chronic condition, live in a nursing home, a senior, are pregnant or are a child between six months and 18 years.
People can get the flu shot from a doctor, nurse practitioner, public health nurse or at more than 200 pharmacies in the province.
With files from Information Morning Fredericton