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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Annual anti-flu blitz kicks off

Oswald stresses vaccine is for all

By: Alexandra Paul

Posted: 10/17/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Annabelle Reimer prepares to inoculate Health Minister Theresa Oswald.

The province kicked off an annual fall influenza vaccine campaign Tuesday with Manitoba's Health Minister Theresa Oswald rolling up her sleeve for the needle.

It's the sixth year in a row she's kicked off the anti-flu blitz, she said. This year, the event was held once again at a medical clinic on McGregor Street in Winnipeg's North End.

The health minister said she's as strong as an ox and she rarely gets more than a sniffle even though her son is in grade school.

But that's part of the point, she said.

Oswald said the flu shot isn't restricted to people at highest risk. The province is stressing the flu shot is something everyone needs to roll up their sleeves for.

"Getting the flu shot isn't just about protecting yourself," Oswald said, after a nurse gave her an inoculation for the TV cameras.

"It's about protecting the people you love... Just about everywhere you go, you're in contact with children and seniors. It's part of your social responsibility.

"I urge you very strongly to get the shot. Not the flu," Oswald said.

The province holds the annual flu-vaccine campaign every fall in an effort to ward off flu during the winter months. It's often the likeliest cause of death for the elderly and infirm, who are the most vulnerable to flu.

An estimated 25 per cent of Manitobans typically get the flu shot but 2011's figure was so low the province put it down to flu fatigue. They said people ignored the flu threat and grew weary of long lineups for the H1N1 flu vaccine the year before.

This year, the province hopes everyone gets the shot.

The province has put $4.7 million aside for the vaccine to make shots available for every man, woman and child in the province.

Meanwhile, the province's list for those at increased risk of flu include people 65 or older, residents in personal care homes and long-term facilities, children under five years of age, people of aboriginal ancestry, people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women and those who are overweight or obese.

The flu shot covers three of the most common strains of influenza as identified every year by experts from the World Health Organization.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca

What flu costs Canada

In dollars: More than $1 billion due to lost productivity, eating up three to four sick days at work for every bout.

In lives: 2,000 to 8,000 Canadians will die every year, depending on the severity of the flu season. Among adults 55 and older, respiratory illnesses such as flu are the third-leading cause of death and hospital stays.

-- sources: Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Healthcare Influenza Immunization Network.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 17, 2012 B2

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