As summer comes to an end, doctors are gearing up for flu season.
The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that between 2,000 and 8,000 citizens die every year from influenza and its complications.
British Columbians considered at high risk of developing complications from influenza and those who care for them can get the flu shot for free. It is especially important that health-care workers get their flu shot each year, provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said in a statement.
"As a physician myself, I know how important it is to protect patients," he said.
Unfortunately, each year throughout B.C., fewer than 50 per cent of health-care employees are immunized against influenza, Kendall noted. Some jurisdictions in the United States have managed to achieve 95 per cent coverage of health-care workers, he added.
"Vaccines have been one of the most important medical advances of the modern era and have been responsible for wiping out, or nearly eliminating, once common illnesses, such as smallpox," Kendall said. "This year, if you are eligible for a free flu shot, I encourage you to get immunized."
For more information visit www.health.gov.bc.ca/flu.
