Flu clinics at DGH

Protecting yourself and your family is as simple as rolling up your sleeve for a flu shot, according to South West Health.

Influenza immunization clinics will be held Oct. 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Oct. 30 from 3-6 p.m. in the consultants’ clinic of Digby General Hospital.

A free vaccination is available to anyone at high risk of complications from flu, including people 65 years and older, those living in nursing homes and other chronic care facilities, and those people with chronic health conditions such as heart, lung or kidney disease, AIDS, diabetes and cancer.

Since 2004, healthy children aged 6 months to 23 months at the time of their first influenza vaccine administration during October, November and December are also eligible to receive the free flu shots.

Pregnant women have been added to the list this year to receive free vaccine because they are at greater risk of complications.

While the flu vaccine is up to 90 per cent effective in healthy adults, it is less effective for the elderly and those with chronic conditions, so it is important to reduce their exposure to the virus. That's one reason why free flu vaccination is also available to those with a high potential to spread the virus to such high-risk individuals.

The extended list includes those who live in the same house, staff and volunteers at hospitals and long-term care facilities, home care workers, paramedics, dentists and their staff, physiotherapists, doctors and their staff, RCMP and first responders.

Symptoms of the flu, an acute viral respiratory illness, often include sudden onset of fever, sore throat, dry cough, sore muscles and joints and extreme tiredness, usually lasting between two and seven days.

For those at high risk of developing complications, the virus can be deadly. Every year in Nova Scotia there are about 2,500 hospitalizations and 450 flu-related deaths in addition to about 20,000 visits to doctors.