Albertans are encouraged to get a flu shot if they haven't already, as five people have already died from influenza this flu season, according to provincial officials.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) officials also say the number of people being hospitalized with influenza has increased in recent weeks.
“Influenza is here in Alberta and we're now seeing its tragic toll. One Albertan death is too many and this week we have the unfortunate responsibility of confirming five,” said Gerry Predy, AHS senior medical officer of health.
“If that isn't enough to encourage immunization, the upswing in hospitalizations is yet further evidence of the very real severity of influenza.”
Two of the five deaths were in the Calgary area and three were in the Edmonton area. Four of the five people had not been immunized.
The fifth person was a child and had only received one of two doses required for children under age nine who are being immunized for the first time this flu season.
Two of the five people were over age 65, two were under 18 and one was between 18 and 64.
According to AHS officials, more than one million doses of the influenza vaccine have been used so far this flu season, of more than two million available.
And although some people say getting the flu shot causes the flu, Alberta Health officials say otherwise.
Martin Lavoie, deputy chief medical officer of health for Alberta Health, said the general respiratory virus season is at the same time as the flu season, which started in October.
He said people could have already been infected with a respiratory virus before getting their influenza vaccine and they got sick before the vaccine could take full effect, which takes two about weeks.
“Or they got one of the other multiple viruses out there and then they thought ‘well the vaccine did this,' but that is not the case,” said Lavoie, adding this year's vaccine covers four different strains.
“The vaccine cannot cause the disease.”
He said there is also a vaccine that is sprayed into the nose and although it doesn't cause the flu, it could cause sniffles or a slight fever.
Pharmacies and physicians' offices offer the flu shot free of charge for residents across the province. For more information visit www.ahs.ca/influenza.
"Influenza is here in Alberta and we're now seeing its tragic toll. One Albertan death is too many and this week we have the unfortunate responsibility of confirming five."Gerry PredyAlberta Health Services
