Free flu shot clinics open in Calgary

People are lining up to get their flushots, as theprovince kicks off its free vaccination program.

About 150 people waited in line Monday morningat the BrentwoodVillageMallclinic in the northwest, one of four mass drop-in clinics in Calgary.

Albertans six months and older can get immunized free of charge at the sites operated by Alberta Health Services.

• Find a clinicnear you.

Last year, only27 per cent of Albertans got the flu shota number that'snot high enough, according to health officials.

"There's a lot of people in our society, their immune systems are compromised in various ways," saysUniversity of Calgary microbiologist Glen Armstrong.

"They can get an awful lot sicker and they can get some really nasty complications with the flu. So you're protecting them [too]," he says.

Nasal spray

Children aged two to 17 who would rather not get a needle can opt for a nasal spray.

Parents in the U.S. are being told not to immunize their children with the spray, but it's still available in Canada.

Armstrong says the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

"Honestly with the protection that you do get with the flu mist, whether it's slightly less or slightly more than we think it is, it's probably better than no protection at all,"Armstrong says.

Calgary zone medical officer of health Dr. Judy MacDonald saidit's important all Albertans protect themselves.

"With influenza,we know that people are infectious actually a full day before they actually come down with symptoms. But once they start coughing and sneezing generally I would say maybe five days or so before they're no longer infectious," she said.

Drop-in clinics

The four drop-in clinics in Calgary, all open from 11 a.m. until 6.45 p.m., are located at:

• South Calgary Heath Centre at 31 Sunpark Plaza S.E.
• Richmond Road Diagnostic Treatment Centre at 302, 1820 Richmond Road S.W.
• Northgate at A154,495 36th Street N.E.
• Brentwood Village Mall at 3630 Brentwood Road N.W.

Many pharmacies and physicians will also be offering shots.

People with chronic medical conditions, older people and children are most at risk.

There were 5,311lab-confirmed cases of flu last season, between December and May, thehighest in five years.

More than 1,600 people were hospitalized with influenza during the last flu season, according to Alberta Health Services, and 62 people died.

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