Sask health offers an ounce of prevention

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This past summer, the news was full of reports about SARS, West Nile and Mad Cow Disease. We've all heard about them. But when was the last time you read a news report about influenza?

It may not be making the headlines like all the other health threats we've been warned about, but this year, more people will die from influenza than from SARS, West Nile and Mad Cow Disease combined.

The good news is that if you are within one of the groups most at risk from influenza, you can get a free vaccination through your local public health office. Among those listed as high risk are people over 65, people living in long-term care facilities, and those with chronic lung or heart disease, diabetes, lowered immunity, cancer, kidney disease or anemia. Children or adolescents on long-term ASA therapy are also eligible for the free vaccine.

The province-wide influenza immunization program will begin Oct. 20 and run until Nov. 7. The dates for this year's immunization program are a little later than last year, explained Louise Nichol, a public health nurse with the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Authority's Seniors Health Living program.

"The campaign usually ran a little bit earlier, like three weeks earlier. But (Saskatchewan Health) chose a later date this year because they are finding that the incidence of influenza, the highest incidence is in March and April. And the coverage from the vaccine lasts a person about four to six months. So to actually get a person covered when they need to be covered, they decided to go with that later date."

One of the challenges in getting the message out to people about the need to be immunized against influenza is that most people don't understand what influenza is, explained Nichol.

"Influenza is a respiratory disease that can have very serious complications. It is not stomach flu. Stomach flu is a misnomer, it doesn't exist. And the symptoms associated with influenza are fever, aches and pains, coughing. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea-those are not symptoms of true influenza," she explained.

And what happens if you do contract influenza?

"The best-case scenario is you're a fairly young person that has a great immune system, and you overcome it within a week or so. Worst-case scenario is you die. It can cause hospitalization ... pneumonia and kidney disease are a couple of the big complications that can be caused by influenza. Pneumonia is the biggest one."

The risks associated with influenza increase for people within the designated high-risk groups, and those risks are compounded for those who meet more than one of the criteria.

By getting immunized, Nichol explained, you will not only cut down your risk of getting influenza, but you can also lessen the chances that those around you will get it, by not becoming a potential source of infection.

"By having yourself immunized, you're protecting your loves ones," she said. "And they may be in a high-risk group, say grandma or grandpa, or an aunt or uncle, or just a good close friend that might be 75, 80 years old. You're putting them at risk if you're not immunized yourself."

The influenza immunization is free for those in the high-risk groups, it's easily accessible at one of the immunization clinics that will be held in your area, and it's safe, Nichol said. The immunization itself has very few side effects, and those are usually less severe than even a mild case of influenza.

For information on where you can go in your area to take part in an influenza immunization clinic, contact your local public health office, or call Saskatchewan Health at 1-800-667-7766.