Two of the people who died were in Calgary; three were in Edmonton.
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There have now been 283 confirmed cases of influenza in Alberta this season, and over 80 people hospitalized.
In a good year, the flu shot is about 70 percent effective, Dr. David Grossman, Toledo Lucas-County health commissioner, said. “Usually there are more cases of influenza in the community than are reported by the lab, so we strongly encourage residents to get their flu shot to protect themselves and others -it’s not too late”.
“Influenza is here in Alberta and we’re now seeing its tragic toll”.
Most people who get the flu will have mild illnesses, and will recover in less than two weeks. Unlike most of the population, infants and the elderly do not have the same ability to fight off illnesses. Last year 33 people died from the flu in Alberta in a season where the vaccine, unlike this year, was considred to be nearly useless.
AHS said more than two million doses of the flu vaccine were purchased for use in Alberta this flu season, and so far, a little more than a million doses have been administered.
For information on clinic times and locations head to the AHS website. These simple tips are helpful, but the best prevention for influenza is still to get the flu vaccine. “It kills people. And it’s preventable”, Predy said.
Lavoie said some people may believe the vaccine is “not worth it”, or are waiting to see how the season goes. Each year’s vaccine is only created to protect against the strains it includes. It found that periods when the air was cold and dry were followed by increases in flu-related deaths.
Among flu virus types detected last week, 51 per cent were A(H1N1)pdm09 while 28 per cent were of the B variety. Albertans need to check their sources. “So the weather is part of the equation, but not all of it”, Greene says.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that it issued the advisory after the number of suspected flu patients reached 12-point-one out of one thousand outpatients treated at a hospital last week.
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” I did not see a shortage of flu vaccine”.
