What are the Symptoms?
The symptoms of flu are similar to those of the common cold, but they tend to develop faster and are usually more intense. They include weakness and a feeling of extreme fatigue, aches and pains, a runny nose, sore throat, coughing and sneezing. A fever and/or chills are also commonly experienced.
Is Flu Dangerous?
Every year in Canada, between 500 and 1500 people die from complications arising from flu. However, for most people, a bout of flu poses very little risk. At worst, it may take a month or more to recuperate. (The average time to recover from flu is two weeks, although most people feel weak and run down for a while afterwards.) The real danger of flu is that it reduces the body's ability to fight other infections. Many of these secondary infections can cause a person to become very sick, due to the immune system being weakened by the flu episode.
Bacterial pneumonia and viral pneumonia are two infections that are associated with flu. Disorders of the nervous system and heart/kidney failure may also follow infection with the flu virus.
Who is Most at Risk?
Certain sectors of the population are considered to be more at risk than others for developing complications from flu. These people are strongly encouraged to have a flu vaccination every year to protect themselves against flu viruses.
The following people are considered to be high risk - meaning they are more likely than the population at large to catch flu and or develop complications from flu.
- Adults or children with chronic heart, lung or kidney disorders, or cystic fibrosis.
- Adults or children with asthma, diabetes, severe chronic anaemia, cancer or another long-term illness, or who have received an organ transplant.
- Adults aged 65 and over or people of any age living in a long-term care facility.
- Health care providers and other people who are in contact with high-risk individuals (to protect those at risk as well as themselves).
- Healthy adults living in the same house as high-risk people (again, to protect the person at risk as well as themselves).
- Children and adolescents (6 months to 18 years) who have been treated for long periods with ASA (Aspirin).
People at high risk and their caregivers may obtain a flu vaccination free of charge through their family doctor or at a public health clinic. (Contact your family doctor or local health department for details.)
When is the Best Time to Be Vaccinated?
The best time to be vaccinated is in mid-October to late November - well before the arrival of "flu season" in December/January. You should not wait until flu has broken out in your area before being vaccinated.
London Drugs flu vaccination clinics are scheduled to start October 16 and finish November 16.
I Had a Flu Shot Last Year. Why Do I Need Another?
To prevent flu, you must keep your vaccinations current. This is because there are many different strains of flu - each virus differing in makeup.
To ensure the population is well protected from different flu strains, the World Health Organization (WHO) has set up a comprehensive international flu surveillance network. Around the world, doctors take nose and throat cultures from patients suffering from flu. These samples are sent to laboratories for testing and significant cases are forwarded to the closest National Influenza Centre for analysis. Each year, the results are compiled, the information passed on to pharmaceutical companies, and vaccine developed for the following year.
Back to Top