By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

AHS flu shots starting back up for the season

Oct 19, 2016 | 4:54 PM

EDMONTON – Prevention is the only protection.

That is the message driving AHS’ influenza immunization campaign this flu season.

The province will officially kick off its annual influenza vaccine campaign on Oct. 24 with free flu shots to be offered to all Albertans over the age of six months.

In a media conference on Wednesday (Oct. 19), Dr. Martin Lavoie, Alberta’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health, said that while employing healthy habits such as hand washing does help to curb the spread of influenza it ultimately may not be enough to protect from getting sick.

“Every year we predict that between 10 – 15 per-cent of the population be infected with influenza. Immunization is still the most effective way to protect yourself and reduce risk of getting sick.”

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Flu clinics will be set up throughout the province and the flu shot will also be offered at many pharmacies across the province.

Kids under the age of nine can only be immunized at an Alberta Health Services clinic.

Dr. Lavoie said that AHS has prepared for this year by ordering extra doses to ensure a smooth delivery of the vaccination.

“This year we have ordered 1.6 million doses of the vaccine which is enough to vaccinate 35 per-cent of the population and last year we had 27 per-cent of Albertans immunized. Every year we hope that we get more Albertans understanding the benefits of immunization.”

According to information provided during the media conference, more than one million doses of the flu vaccine were administered across Alberta last year, with half of the vaccinations proving to be successful.

A total of 1,698 people were hospitalized in 2015 with lab-confirmed influenza.

According to AHS, influenza sends more Alberta to emergency rooms than heart attacks and strokes and is responsible for more than half of Alberta deaths from infectious disease.

Children, pregnant women and those living with chronic conditions are the most vulnerable to requiring medical attention after contracting the flu.

AHS will offer three different types of vaccinations. A nasal mist for those aged 2-17, a general flu shot and a “Flu Zone” injectable shot for seniors that works to boost the immune response at a quicker speed than the general shot.

For more information on the immunization offered by AHS visit: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/influenza/influenza.aspx.

The first vaccination opportunity for the Lethbridge area is on Tuesday Oct. 25, in the main Pavilion at Exhibition Park. The drop-in clinic will run from 10:00 to 3:00.