In the heart of Flu Season, the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority wish to remind residents that it is never a bad time to schedule a trip to the doctor’s office for the Flu vaccine.
While most flu symptoms are rather tame, and most people recover within seven to ten days, there are still cases where the flu can cause extreme discomfort in those whose bodies are not properly equipped to handle the virus. Symptoms typically appear around one to four days after exposure, and can be as simple as a fever, cough, and some mild muscle pain. Other symptoms include headache, chills, fatigue, sore throat, and a loss of appetite. The most severe symptoms include diarrhea and nausea.
Dr. Claudia Kraft, the Territorial Medical Director, shared her knowledge of the flu to help inform northerners of the risks of the influenza virus, as well as the ways that the vaccine can protect those who are more vulnerable.
“We know that there are lots of different ideas about the flu vaccine, and sometimes people think that if they had the flu then they needn’t get another vaccine, and we also know that demand changes depending on what the flu activity is in a given community, so we wanted to have the chance to share some views about it.”
Dr. Kraft explained that across North America, the annual flu season typically starts around November and December, and usually wraps up around April, though those times can vary from year to year depending on different factors. While the cold weather of the North has no direct influence on the spread of the flu, it does end up driving people into their homes more often, which, combined with dry air, can help the flu to spread among families.
“Really, why we see cold weather and influenza seasons together is just about the fact that it drives us all inside and close together, and viruses like influenza that are very easy to pass to people really like it when we’re all indoors and not having our outdoor time, so if you do have a cough, you’re much more likely to pass it along. Cold weather also coincides with our school season as well, so there’s lots of reasons we notice the pattern of cold weather and flu, but it’s not really that the cold itself changes the way our bodies react in any way.”
This year’s flu season has been fairly active, according to Dr. Kraft. She states that there have been lots of positive flu tests this season, dating back to before the holiday break in December. She added that this year is reporting around double the amount of positive flu cases as compared to last year. This has caused more people to visit their local doctors and health clinics, as well as more people being sent to the hospital with more severe cases.
When discussing ways to help prevent the spread of influenza, Dr. Kraft stated that many of the methods are now well known, as they have been practiced frequently since the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay home when you are sick, as well as rigorous and thorough hand washing, and general health practices. However, the best defence for the individual and their household is the vaccine.
“The vaccine protects against two different strains of influenza, Influenza A, which is the one we’re seeing lots of right now, as well as Influenza B. so there’s protection against both of the major sub-types of Influenza that are likely to hit us this season. We’ve seen lots of Influenza A, and we haven’t seen a lot of Influenza B across the country, but we should certainly expect that we might, or we could in the weeks or months ahead.”
Kraft reminds residents that even if they have had the flu in the past, or have even experienced it earlier this season, it is not too late to be protected against Influenza B, should it begin to show up in the coming days. She notes that vaccination or past experience with Influenza A will not protect an individual from a different sub-type of the virus.
The Doctor also made sure to add an important note to her message, being that vaccines are not a perfect failsafe, and contraction is still possible. While she and the rest of the NTHSSA are confident that this year’s flu vaccine will be effective, she states that some people will still catch the flu, and that the severity will vary from person to person. This can be because some people have compromised immune systems from other factors, and in the case of children, their immune systems may simply not have matured enough to fight back against the flu. Dr. Kraft reassures that even if an individual does contract the flu after getting their vaccination, the shot can still help keep the intensity of their symptoms down.
For those in Yellokwnife who wish to book an appointment for the vaccine, they can call Yellowknife Public Health at 867-767-9120. Dr. Kraft assures that there is plenty of availability for people to book appointments.
