Flu season is here.
"As we move into colder temperatures, the likelihood of contracting influenza is high," says the Windsor Essex County Health Unit's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Wajid Ahmed.
During the flu season last year in Windsor-Essex, there were 304 lab confirmed cases of influenza and eight flu-related deaths.
Dr. Ahmed says the people who typically died from the flu had other contributing factors.
"When they contract influenza, their body is basically going into an overdrive mode and they have to work harder in their breathing, their heart has to work harder to make sure that their whole body is working properly," he says. "Individuals with any kind of chronic disease, their body is already in overdrive mode."
When it comes to predicting the flu, Dr. Ahmed says officials typically watch the flu season in the southern hemisphere to determine what will happen here.
"There is always a question about the vaccine effectiveness, how effective the vaccine is and it's a 'best guess,' he says. "It is an annual challenge to predict how the flu strain will mutate from the southern hemisphere to our hemisphere and be most prevalent in the population. Our national advisory committee of immunization makes a recommendation on what kind of a strain we should be looking for in this year's influenza season and the recommendation is then based on predictive research."
New this year, adults 65 years and older have the option of receiving a high-dose flu vaccine free.
"That high dose flu vaccine basically protects them with the most significant strain of influenza that causes more lividity and more hospitalization and death," says Dr, Ahmed.
This year's flu vaccine will be available from your family physician, nurse practitioner, walk-in clinics and for anyone five years and older the vaccine is also available from participating pharmacies.
The health unit will be offering a Public Influenza Drop-in Clinic at the University of Windsor CAW Student Centre Commons on Friday November 16, 2018 from 10am and 6pm.