News Release                          For Immediate Release

                                                                                                                November 14, 2006

Why Should Healthy People Receive the Flu Vaccine?

With free clinics now getting underway it is that time of the year again, time for your annual flu vaccination!  Some think that because they received the flu vaccine last year, they do not need it again this year. This is not true. Because the flu viruses change from year to year, it is essential that everyone receive the new vaccine for the 2006/07 flu season.

Also referred to as influenza, the flu is a serious respiratory infection that spreads easily through airborne droplets. Even healthy individuals who engage in a healthy lifestyle fall ill from the flu.

Corrie Marshall was a healthy, active woman in her thirties when she fell ill from the flu. “I was off work for almost one month and at the hospital every other day… at the end of my debilitating illness after many inhalation treatments, the doctor suggested that I should have been admitted to the hospital.” Since Marshall’s personal experience with the influenza virus, she is a firm believer and advocate for receiving the flu vaccine every year.

Although most people in good general health fully recover, the flu can pose a threat of developing serious complications to individuals over the age of 65, those with already compromised immune systems, and the very young. Approximately 500 to 1,500 Canadians die annually due to complications associated with influenza.

New research associates a very small increased risk of developing the neurological disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome after receiving the flu vaccine. However, the Canadian researchers state that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risk. Dr. David Juurlink, the study's lead author estimates with every million people vaccinated one or two additional cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome would develop as a result of the vaccine.  

Annual flu vaccination is a proven preventive measure in lowering death rates caused by the influenza virus. Universal immunization against influenza is highly recommended for all Canadians over six months old.

Community health is everyone’s responsibility. Protect yourself and others against the flu! For more information, visit our website at www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca.

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Attachment – Free Walk-In Community Flu Clinic Schedule

For more information:

Karen Sweiger

Manager, Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Grey Bruce Health Unit

519-376-9420 or 1-800-263-3456 ext. 230