CALGARY – Alberta flu clinics will open to the public Oct. 20 but will rolling up your sleeve be worth it? Last year, Canadians lined up early in the season but as it turned out, those people may have been better off staying home.
Last year, Canada experienced one of its deadliest flu seasons in decades. Across the country, 8,021 people were hospitalized and 606 people died. In Alberta, there were 103 deaths, marking the first time flu-related deaths topped 100 in the province in more than 20 years.
Last December a U.S. Centers for Disease Control report revealed the type of H3N2 virus circulating last season was different from the one used to make the year’s flu shot. This year, health officials are hoping for more success.
“The flu moves from north to south and back north again, so we can get some clues from what’s happening in the southern hemisphere,” Dickinson explained.
Dickinson said this winter, South Africa and Australia saw more cases of the Influenza B strain, while countries in South America were hit hardest by Influenza A, H1N1. If either of those strains end up as the dominant strain in Canada this flu season, the vaccine will likely be able to help.
“Its effectiveness tends to be much higher for those strains,” he said.
This year’s vaccine has also been altered so if the H3N2 strain makes a comeback, health officials hope to be better prepared.
“There’s been a change to that component of the vaccine and hopefully it will be a good match to the strain we anticipate will circulate this year,” said Dr. Judy MacDonald, medical officer of health with Alberta Health Services.
In addition to getting a flu shot later this year, MacDonald said people can reduce their risk of becoming sick by washing their hands frequently, getting plenty of sleep, eating well and exercising.
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