Flu vaccinations highly recommended

 

 

By Gaebrielle Gomes

More people should get the influenza vaccination, say Windsor doctors.

Dr. Fadia Hermiz at Central Medical Clinics said along with elderly people, children and people with sickness or diseases, healthy adult Windsorites have been getting the flu shot. She said more people should be encouraged to get it.

“Anyone who is immunosuppressed like people with cancer, with HIV, or have chronic diseases should be vaccinated. Normal people who don’t have any diseases also come. Health workers, I would recommend it to them as well,” said Hermiz.

Hermiz said the number of people she has vaccinated is high and very steady compared with last year. It is recommended by The Universal Influenza Immunization Program that all people from the ages of six months to the elderly who work or attend school and have no reason to seek medical attention should get vaccinated.

According to the Statistics Canada Health Profile, 40 per cent of women and about 30 per cent of men have been immunized as of June. In Windsor alone there are 36,040 children under 14 years old qualified to receive the flu shot.

For those who want to protect themselves without getting the shot, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of antiviral medications as a second line of defence. However getting vaccinated is still the best way to prevent getting the flu.