Don’t give the gift of the flu this season

Dec 13, 2018 | 9:13 AM

VANCOUVER — As influenza ramps up into the holiday season, the BC Centre for Disease Control is warning British Columbians to make sure they’re vaccinated.

High-risk individuals and their close contacts should be vaccinated as soon as possible, influenza lead at the BCCDC Dr. Danuta Skowronski says.

“Our monitoring suggests the influenza epidemic will coincide with the festive period in a couple of weeks,” she says. “Since it takes about two weeks for the influenza vaccine to induce protection, now is the time for high-risk individuals and their close contacts to get vaccinated, if they haven’t already.”

High-risk individuals include those with underlying medical conditions like heart and lung disease, or those with weakened immune systems that make it harder to fight respiratory infections. Complications like pneumonia can be life-threatening for some people and can lead to death.

Skowronski says last year and the year before, there were severe epidemics due to the H3N2 strain of influenza A virus. She adds that the H1N1 variety of influenza is the most prominant strain this year.

Both strains cause similar illness with fever, cough, aches and fatigue, but H3N2 viruses are hardest on the elderly, while H1N1 viruses tend to affect more children and non-elderly adults. The vaccine gives protection against both strains, along with influenza B.

“The major kind of influenza virus we are detecting so far this year is H1N1,” said Skowronski. “That means that children and non-elderly adults with underlying medical conditions may especially need protection this holiday season when they gather with friends and family. They should be vaccinated and so should their close contacts.”

The BCCDC says there are other steps in addition to the vaccine that people can take to reduce their risk of getting or spreading influenza, including:

  • Wash your hands frequently, especially if you’ve been out in public.
  • Avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, mouth and nose.
  • Cough and sneeze into your elbow. If you use a tissue, make sure to dispose of it properly and wash your hands.
  • If you feel unwell, stay home so you don’t pass your infection onto others, especially those who may be at higher risk.
  • If you are in close contact with people at higher risk of serious complications from influenza, get the vaccine and don’t visit them if you feel unwell.

“Influenza is a truly lousy gift for anyone to receive. If you become sick with flu-like illness this holiday season, stay home. Don’t re-gift this miserable illness to others,” advised Skowronski.