AHS influenza vaccine clinics now underway
LETHBRIDGE, AB – It’s that time of year when Alberta Health Services is encouraging everyone to get the flu shot. Public influzena clinics began Tuesday at Exhibition Park and will continue into December.
Dr. Vivian Suttorp says while the decision to vaccinate is a personal one, last year’s flu shot was about 72 per cent effective, and even those who may still get the flu if they’ve had the vaccine won’t typically have symptoms as severe as they would had they received the shot. It takes two weeks to build up optimal immunity.
“The more vulnerable, the very young children under two and even under five, those individuals with chronic conditions; diabetes, heart disease, other immune conditions and the elderly are more at risk of complications,” she says.