Huron Expositor, 2007-11-07, Page 12The Huron Expositor • November 7, 2007 Page 11
News
Health unit immunizes one third of county for flu
Six flu shot clinics offered across Huron County during next few weeks
Aaron Jacklin
With flu season approaching, flu
shot clinics will be starting up soon
across Huron County, but it's hard
to tell how many people actually get
a shot.
"Our system is two-tiered," says
Christina Taylor, public health
nurse with the Huron County
Health Unit.
"Physicians do approximately 70
per cent of the flu shots for the
county and they don't report the
numbers to us."
Doctors bill those immunizations
to OHIP.
"Right now, they're working to
provide us with that information,
but it's not currently available," she
says, noting that the health clinic
brings in enough vaccine, on aver-
age, to administer shots to about a
third of the population of the coun-
ty.
"We generally use it all up," she
says.
They've been immunizing about a
third of Huron County since the
inception of the universal program.
"Ontario is the only province in
Canada that has a universal
influenza immunization program,"
she said.
That means the immunization is
free for anyone who lives, works or
goes to school in Ontario.
"It's recommended for anybody
over the age of six months," said
Taylor, noting the universal pro-
gram has been around for about
eight years.
"We've seen the same numbers
every year," she said.
The health unit offers six clinics
across the county - two each in
Clinton, Goderich and Seaforth.
They also partner with the Grand
Bend medical centre in the south of
the county to get the Exeter area
and the Wingham and District
Hospital in the north to get the
Wingham area.
"By partnering, we cover the
entire county," she says. "But again,
there are a lot more people who get
it through their doctor."
The health unit administers shots
through its various clinics to
seniors, adults and students.
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"We're one of the only counties
that has a school based immuniza-
tion program," she says. "There's
only four other. counties in all of
Ontario that offer it right in the
school."
She says that offeringthe immu-
nizations in schools works well for
the parents.
"We really strongly encourage and
recommend immunizations in our
school population because they're
the ones that spread all the germs
all over," she says. "They come home
and make mom sick or dad sick or
gramma sick, so we really recom-
mend that and endorse that by
going into schools and offering them
immunizations at the school level."
Taylor said the flu shot doesn't
necessarily prevent people from get-
ting the illness.
"What the flu shot does is prevent
severe complications from happen-
ing and we know it goes a long way
toward preventing death from
inluenza illness," she said.
She noted that a healthy adult
who gets the shot may get the ill-
ness, be sick in bed for a few days
and be up and going again by the
end of the week. While an elderly
person may be sick a little longer,
she said they'd still recover.
"If you don't get the flu shot, it
could lead to a severe illness which
would require hospitalization," she
said. "It could lead to complications
such as pneumonia and it can, in
rare cases, cause death."
Influenza can also get into the
brain and cause encephalitis, or
cause other organ problems that can
lead to death.
Speaking of these more severe
possibilities, Taylor said, "They're
rare, but they're out there, particu-
larly for those with a chronic ill-
ness."
In Seaforth, the second and last
flu shot clinic is offered at the
Seaforth and District Community
Centre on Wednesday, Nov 21 from
4-7 p.m. The first was held last
Thursday.
In Clinton, the second and last flu
shot clinic is on Nov. 22 at the
Clinton Legion from 4-7 p.m.
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