Health Board Wants 70% of Population Immunized Against Influenza

At the last Health Board meeting one of the main topics was immunizations.

Beth Vachon, CEO, says that in comparison with other years the amount of immunizations has been average with about 25% of the population immunized.

"If we have about 70% of our populations immunized, for those who don't get immunized because of valid medical reasons, people who can't take it, The reason why you want to get to that number is that that helps protect those people who can't be immunized." Said Vachon, "You know it is a concern when we have numbers between 25% or 30% of the general population. We know that doesn't create the kind of immunity that is required in a community to ensure those that are vulnerable don't get sick."

Once immunized, you can still catch the influenza virus, but the severity is greatly reduced.

Making the symptoms much less severe, especially in individuals at high risk.

In regards to setting up clinics, Vachon says that they are trying to make clinics in places where people commonly visit to make them more accessible.

"One of the things that we have implemented is setting up a clinic at hockey games where we know lots of people come in. This year we also used the Credit Union. They opened up their lobby and there was a lot of uptake from that." Said Vachon.

 The last flu clinic took place earlier this month, but free flu shots are still available at your favorite clinic.