Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

I remember the pandemic. It was a bother because I was working in the UK, the client wouldn't allow anyone visiting from Toronto on site so I had to drive to Montreal and fly from there. I don't believe I killed anyone, I didn't hear that I did.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Not that pandemic, the proper one that killed 3% of the global population. We are about due another one, 1918, 1958, 1968, 20??

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Shouldn't it have been along in late 1970?

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

In which case we are even more overdue right? Like Vancouver and a major earthquake. except there are no shots for that though that I know of...

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Pah! I sneeze at your numerology.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Bless you...

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

In your case, probably quite high.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

According to Public Health Agency of Canada it's 4k to 8k a year.

Just looking over some figures. They're quite scary.

It appears that the rate of Canadians being hospitalised is double the rate of UK folk just seeing their doctor.

This might just mean that Canadians overreact. But then deaths from flu in Canada appear between 7 and 13 times what the UK had in a bad year (602). That's on PHAC figures.

Even on Iaink's figures, that's deaths in Canada of 2 and a half times that of a bad UK year.

Whichever is the more accurate, Canada's annual death totals from flu are somewhere between double and 13 times that of a bad year in the UK.

For a country with half the UK population, that's going some isn't it?


It seems flu is a far bigger problem in Canada than it is in the UK. Perhaps we should view it that way?

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

I expect its more likely just one of those reporting variances that screw up statistical comparisons all the time. Canadians are perhaps more likely to be labelled as dying from "influenza" rather then "respiratory complications" or whatever...

my made up numbers came from here by the way...

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

It seems as if the rate is increasing year over year. It's prolly the vaccine.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

For all the claims about 'outdoor lifestyles', I think Canadians probably spend a greater proportion of time in the winter cooped up inside public buildings alongside strangers compared to the UK.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

I don't think Canadians claim "outdoor lifestyles", I think that's an immigrant thing. It seems to me that proper Canadians huddle indoors plotting their move to the US.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Or to Norfolk. But I agree, outdoor winter lifestyles in Canada are for kids and other immature folk. Let's just face the muskox in the room. It's f***ing cold.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

I have found taking vitamin D3 works very well.... I've not had the seasonal "heavy cold" since I've been here.... which is when I started to take vit D in the winter. Maybe it's that or maybe Canada has less germs....!!

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Thats why you need to find something you enjoy doing in the winter. I find skiing when its warm incredibly tedious to be honest; It works much better when the snow doesnt melt.

Maybe Im just immature...:ohmy:

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

I think that's pretty rare. People in Canada generally endure a miserable time for five months a year during their working lives and then, if they can afford it, spend the winters in America. Those who do find something enjoyable typically do it indoors, crochet, quilting and scrapbooking are very popular.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

There are some that do, some that dont. There is no shortage of old timers hockey and the like going on, Curling, that sort of thing. Maybe cos you dont get out, you just assume no one else does? When I go out there are people of all ages out there too.

Then there are people who leave if they can too of course, it takes all sorts, but if you are going to prosper here then you need something to do over the winter, either inside or out.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Well, no. I've prospered here. It seems to me now that a major reason for that is that, for most of my time here, I've had no interests in Canada. Like my colleagues and associates, I've been willing to work all the time because, for five months of the year, there's really nothing better to do. Television is hugely popular, of course, if you enjoy Survivor you'll likely want to go home and see that.

I don't think, btw, that curling, essentially lawn green bowling indoors, counts as "getting out".

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Believe it or not, my comment wasn't a dig at Canadians (well, not really!) but it was a genuine observation that in winter, Canadians do seem to spend a lot of time indoors which may go some way to explaining the apparent higher incidence of flu.

Not wandering down blustery high streets or standing on freezing terraces or staggering across town on pub crawls obviously makes you sick.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

If they spent a lot of time outdoors they'd be frozen to death. Flu seems a good alternative.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Going to work this morning it was pitch black, -10C and snowing. In October. There are seven months of this ahead. I thought of the First Nations that lived up here and, for the millionth time, wondered why on earth they decided that this was the perfect place to set up home.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Prospered as in "enjoyed living here", not prospered as in "made money".


Curling is suprisingly hard physical work, as you would know if you had ever tried it before knocking it.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

It's all those hand sanitizers everywhere.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Rick Mercer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsMnsWvKEJs

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

They attend the Slusherville Winterfest.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

speak for yourself, I have had the flu when not had a shot.
I also commonly had it when I did have the shot at age 10.. Not sure how you can speak for 'most' people to be honest.
A good reason why you can get mild symptoms after having a shot is any innoculation gives you a bit of the virus or the bacteria (the dead cells) and that is how the body starts to build up it's immunity against it. I admit I did avoid having the flu shots commonly for years after I left school, because commonly at school when we were made to have it I did end up with flu for 3 days leading me to believe that alone was what gave me the flu.
However, I did still get the flu.

I have the flu shot nowadays and I don't get the flu, I hope it stays that way from now on.

It's a good idea to get the shot.. better to reduce the chances of getting full blown flu, or it going away sooner than if you hadn't had the shot

I prefer to get it for me and my little one with him being around children his age all day at preschool nowadays.

I quite enjoy giving out flu shots too, and during Nov and Dec I will be busy doing so :D

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Same here though I had it more than once.

My little man of age 3 had his first flu shot yesterday and I have to say he's run down for 24 hrs quite soon after, today speaking with a croaky voice and had a bit of a cough. Last night he burned up a bit, took, his temp and gave a dose of tylenol and removed his pyjama top, and he was aok again. I hope it's not me at age 10 again, when I commonly got the flu after the shot during my school years. More likely in the youngsters as they are still building up their immunity system.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

It doesn't hurt, it's a small needle not an intramuscular one.

Turning away also helps so you don't have to see it it, then you hardly feel it at all.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

100% correct, could not have put that better myself. Iain is absolutely right on this one folks, I have to say. There should be more education out there on this, I see it easily as I'm a nurse, but I don't commonly see it around, something for me to work on I think (health education and health promotion).

Here's a good website to keep you all well informed:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Agreed, wise words yet again.

And even though I commonly did end up with the flu aged 10 it wasn't for 2 weeks, it would have likely been just 2 days had the nurses not been so harsh at my school and uniformly/ automatically kicked us out of the sanitorium after 3 days regardless, I'd end up back in there again the same night no thanks for them.. after suffering a long evening chapel service usually.. seemed to be the same time every year after getting my shot back then (our medical center at our boarding school was called a sanitorium) must have been worse jabs when I was 10 yrs old, or likely my immunity still building up.
Anyway, I don't get the flu nowadays for having had the shot, even if that bad experience at school did put me off having it for years.

Some occupations are compulsory for having it.. mine too, but I opt for it more now anyway.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

It is for those with a lowered immunity system, or for older adults who commonly die from it for not being immunized.
And as Iain mentioned, it also helps prevent it spreading to others when you have the flu shot even if you don't suffer from it yourself.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Never paid for one.
It's free here with your health card via your doctor too. Just avoid having it done via pharmacists elsewhere, they do charge, it's not really their role anyway to give flu shots it's the nurses role, but has become their role in Canada now at least, my doctors technique wasn't exactly brilliant either, he held it with one hand and just inserted it, not how us nurses are trained to give an injection at all.. and he gave it intramuscularly on my arm when it's meant to be subcutaneously.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

steady on? steady on yourself, he's right on what he's saying on all this, listen up and learn I say..

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Do you have any idea how germs spread? It's not just through physical touch you know..

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Flu shot my arse. I thought Canadian's were a hardy outdoor bunch?

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

I don't know where you have been hiding or where your inaccurate assumptions come from exactly, but there seems to be plenty of them on this thread. It's certainly not what I've seen the time I've lived over here on moving to BC in 2007 then Toronto 2012, quite the opposite and I love the Canadians for their outdoor pursuits, ice skating rinks outside, not seen many indoors to be honest. Or skiing down mountains, snow shoeing, ice climbing.. the list goes on. I'm sure if I showed your post to my Canadian friends from coast to coast you'd soon be put back in your place on this one.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

Gosh, me too! Or maybe I'm just a big kid who enjoys life and keeping fit and healthy and loves the outdoors and healthy good fresh air, rather than being huddled indoors where germs get breathed in from others who don't like to open their windows.

Since when was outdoor pursuits just for kids exactly?????! FAIL on that inaccurate comment :thumbdown:

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

??? So why are you in Canada then? Why stay here if you dislike it so much? Maybe you really are in the wrong place.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

I think there's plenty he's not tried, just likes to criticize and state things he's not that clued up about, plain old ignorance that is, and clearly strongly dislikes Canada (possibly Canadians too), I can't work out why you are here in that case dbbd (sorry if I spelt that name tag wrong btw).

Eeek excuse all the posts at one time, just read through it all and posted as I read through.

Re: Who gets the flu shot?
 

I think the flu shot is the least of your medication concerns.