Flu shot clinics coming soon
Posted By Rob Swystun, Central Plains Herald-Leader
Posted 3 months ago
People in the Central Plains area will soon be able to get their H1N1 flu vaccinations, but some are not sure if they actually want it.
In MacGregor, a clinic will be held at MacGregor EMC Church on Nov. 16 and 17; and Gladstone's clinic will be held at the Gladstone District Community Centre on Nov. 27 and 28; both from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Portage la Prairie will see its clinics held at the William Glesby Centre, Nov. 9-14. and at Portage Evangelical Church, located at 72 Third St. N.E. Nov. 25 and 26 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
All clinics are free of charge and are recommended by Health Canada for everyone aged six months and older.
Carlee Simpson, a teacher at Yellowquill School who lives in MacGregor, is among those who are not sure about getting the vaccine yet.
"I haven't decided yet," Simpson said.
Being a teacher, she added, she knows she's susceptible to being exposed to germs, but the lack of data on the side effects of the vaccine is keeping her on the fence about it.
While missing work would be her biggest concern personally, the Portage School Division has a dearth of substitute teachers, which could make things difficult if a lot of teachers get sick.
While she regularly gets the seasonal flu shot, Simpson added, that doesn't always work. "I've had the flu probably for the past two years."
Simpson said she keeps up with the myriad H1N1 stories in newspapers and TV but still cannot decide whether she should get the shot.
Her neighbour Elsie Rempel echoed Simpson's views.
"We're very undecided," Rempel said of herself and her husband.
Neither she nor her spouse have had a flu shot before, seasonal or otherwise, she noted. She identified a lack of knowledge about the vaccine as a reason why she hasn't committed to getting a shot yet.
Rempel also said there has been so much conflicting reporting on it that it's hard to know what is true and what isn't.
"It's on television every night," she said.
Similar to Rempel, fellow MacGregor resident Doug Davey said he has never had a poke in the arm that was flu-related.
"I've never taken a flu shot in my life," the 82-year-old said, "because I've never had the flu."
He said the H1N1 vaccine was so far from his mind, he hadn't even thought about it, although he is concerned the vaccine may do more harm than good.
"I might just end up getting the damn flu instead," he observed.
Davey also identified TV and newspapers as his main source of information on the flu and its vaccine. "There's so many different opinions," he said.
Dr. Shelley Buchan, medical officer for health for the Regional Health Authority — Central Manitoba Inc., said the indecisiveness about getting the shot is understandable at this point.
"Things are moving very quickly, and people are uneasy," Buchan observed.
She said she hoped people would consider getting the shot as outbreaks of the flu are already happening in Mexico, the United States, the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, and will eventually hit Manitoba.
In addition to the regular mass immunization clinics, the Central RHA has also set up separate clinics for pre-schoolers and infants.
Although the youngsters are welcome at the mass clinics, they can find that stressful, Buchan noted.
"We're trying to make it a little bit more comfortable for them," she said.
Central RHA's website, www.rha-central.mb.ca, is being continually updated as these new clinics for young children are solidified.
"This is such a moving target," Buchan of the immunization.
She encouraged people who want their young children immunized to keep checking the website for further details of the clinics. Arranging them is difficult, as the vaccine is being rolled out little by little, she noted.
"The vaccine is coming in very small batches," the medical officer said.
People who do get the vaccine are reminded to bring their Manitoba Health Card and wear short or loose-fitting sleeves.
For more information on H1N1 and the mass immunization, visit the Health Canada website at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php or the Manitoba Health website at www.gov.mb.ca/health.
rswystun@cpheraldleader.com
