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Last season, Alberta saw one of its lowest vaccination rates in recent history, with only 18 per cent of residents receiving a flu shot. If you were part of that 18 percent, thank you.

Like many of my colleagues at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, I saw previously healthy children hospitalized with the flu last winter. Some suffered respiratory failure and required breathing tubes, while others faced complicated pneumonia requiring chest tubes to drain the fluid compressing their lungs. Health care providers will tell you: we all dread respiratory virus season. So I urge you, this year, to do better: before flu peaks hit our hospitals, our schools and our communities, let’s give our children and ourselves a fighting chance by taking advantage of the protection provided by the flu vaccine.

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These low vaccination rates have left more than 80 per cent of our fellow Albertans vulnerable to this relentless virus. I promise you, no matter how young and healthy you are, if you get the flu, you will remember it. It’s not a cold; you cannot go about your daily activities like school or work. At its best, the flu leaves you bedridden with intense body aches, fever, and debilitating coughing fits. In the worst cases, this can lead to secondary bacterial infections requiring hospitalization or intensive care, risking death.

As the weather gets colder and we spend more time indoors, the flu reappears, but the virus continues to evolve and adapt. Vaccines are adapted each year to target circulating flu strains to provide the best protection against the strain circulating that season.

In 2023-24, there were nearly 150 serious outbreaks in Alberta, resulting in more than 600 hospitalizations. In addition to the pain and suffering that comes with hospitalization, an uncontrolled flu season deprives our already overwhelmed healthcare system of vital resources. This virus is unforgiving, and while it poses a threat to all of us, some Albertans are at even higher risk of serious complications. Children under five, adults over 65 and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to complications.

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Pregnant and postpartum women face even greater risks than their non-pregnant counterparts. The flu puts mothers and babies at risk. But there is hope.

Studies have shown that the flu vaccine is safe at any stage of pregnancy, providing essential protection for mother and child. Because newborns and infants cannot receive a flu vaccine until six months or older, the flu remains a risk for babies born during flu season. A recent study even reassured us that flu vaccines are safe during successive pregnancies. By getting vaccinated, we not only protect ourselves, but we also protect those close to us from danger.

The availability of flu vaccines at pharmacies makes this convenient. Getting vaccinated can be part of your weekend routine. Do the shopping ? Take a few extra minutes to get vaccinated and protect yourself and your community.

Getting vaccinated every year is the best way to prevent the flu. As you get back into the swing of school, work and fall, also stop by a pharmacy or doctor’s office and get your flu protection this season.

Dr. Cora Constantinescu is a pediatrician and infectious disease expert in Calgary.

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