The flu has hit hard this season, but it’s not too late to get vaccinated. On the Island, 48 people have been hospitalized with the flu since Dec. 1, and 14 were so sick they ended up in intensive care. Greater Victoria accounted for 25 of the hospitalizations with seven of those in the ICU.
On the Lower Mainland, Fraser Health Authority stepped up the campaign for flu shots after seeing a dozen people with severe H1N1 infections that put them on respirators and might have killed one person. Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has seen 20 people hospitalized with the flu since Christmas and five are in intensive care with what is believed to be H1N1.
H1N1, called swine flu, has killed five people in Alberta this season. Its severity is a surprise to doctors because it has been included in the vaccine for the past several years to avoid a repetition of the pandemic in 2009.
Island Health has not gathered information on how many flu victims here were immunized, but for those who are on the fence about getting vaccinated, it’s important to note that none of the 12 people with serious infections in Fraser Health had been vaccinated. About half of them were “significantly overweight;” being overweight leaves people more susceptible to serious symptoms.
Getting vaccinated is easy these days. Most doctors and pharmacies can do it, and there is rarely a waiting line at the pharmacy.
Vaccination isn’t 100 per cent protection, but it dramatically reduces the risk. And if you do get sick, symptoms are less severe for those who have been vaccinated.
A few minutes could save you from a week of misery — and possibly a trip to the hospital.
