Our pharmacists provide advice on protecting yourself and your loved ones…
Influenza (the flu) is a nasty winter illness that can make you very sick for a couple of weeks or more. While most people who have flu are often well enough to return to work in a week to 10 days, you may feel weak and fatigued for much longer.
The symptoms of influenza develop quickly and include fever, fatigue, body aches, shivering, and headache. Congestion and coughing are also common. Flu affects approximately one third of Canadians each year. Although flu viruses exist throughout the world year-round, in Canada the flu season usually runs from late November to April.
Who is most at risk?
Although most people suffer a bout of flu with no serious consequences, having flu is unpleasant and disruptive. An influenza vaccination administered every year can help prevent the infection or reduce the severity of the illness should you be unfortunate enough to catch it.
Certain groups of people are considered to be more at risk than others for developing complications from flu. If you fall into one of these groups, you are strongly encouraged to have an influenza vaccination every year to protect yourself against flu viruses. (If you are within a high risk group, you may wish to check with your regional health authority or family physician to see if you qualify for a free vaccination.)
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 it:
• 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)
• Pregnant women and aboriginal people
People who might spread influenza to individuals at high risk of complications related to the flu are also strongly encouraged to have a flu shot. These include:
- Those who are in close contact with vulnerable people listed above, such as family and household members
- Those caring for or expecting a baby during flu season
- Health care workers • Child care workers
- Those providing services to individuals at high risk in closed settings (e.g. crew on a ship)
- Those who provide essential community services, such as fire fighters and police officers
When to have the flu shot
Although flu season usually stretches from late November/December to April, most cases occur in January and February.
It is best to be vaccinated as soon as possible after influenza vaccine becomes available—usually in October. Early vaccination ensures that as many people as possible are protected before flu season begins. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating in the community, it’s not too late to be vaccinated. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against the flu.
What to expect afterwards
Following your vaccination, your immune system will produce antibodies against the virus strains in the vaccine. If you are exposed to the influenza virus, the antibodies circulating in your body will help to eliminate the virus and/or destroy cells that have been infected with it. This will either prevent the infection altogether, or reduce its severity.
Occasionally, the spot where you were vaccinated might feel sore. You may also feel achy or have a mild fever, but all of these symptoms should quickly pass. (Some people who have experienced achiness following a flu shot have assumed that the vaccine has “given” them fl u, but this is not the case as the
influenza vaccine contains only deactivated viruses. Others have come down with a cold or fl u at the same time as having the shot, and have assumed that the vaccine itself has caused the sickness. Infl uenza vaccine is considered safe, with only a minute fraction of the population developing side effects
defined as serious.)
If you are allergic to eggs, you may still be vaccinated against flu. However, FluMist® live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) should not be given to egg-allergic people.
Am I guaranteed protection?
Although the influenza vaccine will protect most people against the current year’s flu viruses, some people still become sick with the flu. This may be because they are exposed to the virus just before they get the flu shot, or during the period following the shot before the protection becomes effective. A person might also be exposed to a flu strain that is not covered by the current year’s vaccine.
Protection provided by influenza vaccination can vary widely, based in part on health and age factors of the person getting vaccinated. In general, the influenza vaccine works best among healthy younger adults and older children. However, whatever your age or health status, having a flu shot is the best form of prevention currently available.
Protect yourself this fl u season by getting your shot with a London Drugs pharmacist. To learn more, please speak to your pharmacist or visit LondonDrugs.com/Flu today.
