Closest to a guarantee

The influenza virus spreads through droplets that have been coughed or sneezed into the air by someone who has the flu. You can contract the flu by breathing in these droplets through your nose or mouth, or by the droplets landing directly on your eyes. The flu virus may also be found on the hands of people who already have flu and on surfaces they have touched. You can become infected if you shake hands with an infected person or touch a contaminated surface and transfer the virus to your own eyes, nose or mouth.

A flu vaccination is not a guarantee that you will not contract flu, but it is the closest thing to ensuring the flu virus won’t take hold inside your body. Influenza vaccination has been shown to prevent illness in approximately 70 to 90 per cent of healthy children and adults.

Although a healthy lifestyle and frequent hand washing also go a long way towards keeping your immune system fighting fit, these measures may simply not be strong enough if you find yourself in the company of someone who already has the virus.

Dangers of influenza

Every year in Canada, between 500 and 1,500 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.

Since certain specific groups of people are more at risk for contracting the flu, they are eligible to receive a free annual vaccination (see page 8). Influenza vaccination is also available for a nominal fee at London Drugs annual flu vaccination clinics. For your convenience, we have listed this year’s clinics on pages 8 and 9.

Is flu vaccine safe?

Dan’s principal reason for not wanting a flu shot was the belief that flu vaccine posed a risk to his well being. Although the vaccine is very safe, like any medication, side effects occur in a few individuals. Most people who have been vaccinated experience no side effects or mild effects such as soreness, redness or swelling where the shot was given. Some people may get a mild fever or aching muscles shortly after vaccination, which may last 1-2 days. If you experience difficulty breathing within 2 -24 hours of your vaccination, call your doctor immediately. Severe allergic reactions are extremely rare. If they do occur it is within a few minutes to a few hours after vaccination.