CAN YOU AFFORD THE FLU - Please note that flu vaccinations are not available

after June 30th each year.

July, 2007

CAN YOU AFFORD THE FLU this year or any year?

DANGER & DISRUPTION

Influenza is a highly contagious virus that disrupts the lives of thousands of  New Zealanders every year – and can endanger the lives of the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Even though there is a highly effective vaccine available, less than a quarter of the population is immunised each year. In the Canadian province of Ontario the cost of flu to the whole community is taken so seriously that the government makes the vaccine available to everybody free.

The influenza virus undergoes minor changes in its structure from year to year, so that every year the formulation of the flu vaccine needs to be reviewed to ensure that it provides protection against the current flu strains circulating in the community

This year, why not weigh up the pros and cons of vaccination? Decide whether you can afford to risk getting the flu and, if not, get a shot!

HARD-HITTING

Plenty of people continue working with a common cold, but very few can keep going right through a bout of flu. The typical symptoms are chills, sweating, high fever, weakness, extreme tiredness, muscle aches and pains in the back and legs, and an unproductive cough that later becomes more severe and productive. Although severe symptoms usually only last 2-3 days, the illness goes on for 7-10 days or even longer.

HARD TO AVOID

Often people struggle in to work when they’re unwell. By that time they may have been spreading the virus for days without even realising they have it. Influenza spreads through airborne droplets from a cough or sneeze. Once you’ve breathed it in, it may take up to four days for the virus to multiply to a level that causes you to start feeling unwell. Throughout that time, you can unknowingly pass the virus on to others.

WHAT CAN THE FLU COST YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL OR YOUR BUSINESS?

Even if you’re not in a high medical risk group, a bout of the flu can be costly:
Lost earnings
Medical Expenses
Time spent caring for a sick partner or child
Extended disruption to your normal life or travel
Lingering tiredness and low spirits

PLAN TO PREVENT FLU

The difficulty of stopping the spread of influenza makes vaccination one effective practical measure you can take to prevent the infection. However vaccination won’t work immediately. It takes about two weeks for your new protective antibodies to build up to effective levels, so you need to think about vaccination before a flu outbreak occurs. Most cases of flu in New Zealand occur between May and September, so the best time to be vaccinated is in autumn or early winter.

In the tropics influenza can occur throughout the year.

WHO SHOULD BE VACCINATED...

All of us who want to reduce our chances of getting the flu should consider vaccination.
For many workers, being laid low by the flu would mean lost income and added stress.
The Government provides free vaccine for everyone 65 and over, and those with asthma, emphesema, heart disease, diabetics, kidney disease and cancer.
Compared to healthy people, people with chronic heart, lung, kidney and blood disorders are at greater risk of complications from flu
Severe asthmatics and diabetics are also at extra risk
Protecting ourselves also helps provide protection for anyone more vulnerable with whom we are in regular contact.

CONSIDER TRAVELLERS

Travellers are at a greater risk of exposure through close interpersonal contact on commuter transport ie aircraft, buses, trains, taxis etc. They do not have access to their usual medical support and may not have easy access to commonly used therapeutic agents. Illness can have a major impact on the pleasures of a trip or a business engagement…and it may be prevented.

AND WHO SHOULDN’T

A very small percentage of the population, such as people with severe egg allergies, should not receive flu vaccine. Check with your doctor

VACCINE FACTS AT A GLANCE

Three things flu vaccines can’t do:

Prevent all coughs, colds and viruses
However, preventing influenza will reduce infections in the nose and throat which follow flu.
Provide instant immunity
The vaccine takes about 2 weeks to start working (people who catch the flu in that fortnight tend to mistakenly blame the vaccine for causing flu).
Cause influenza
There is no live virus in the vaccine, so it does not cause influenza

Four things they can do:

Give you the best chance of not catching the flu
No vaccine is 100% effective, but flu vaccines prevent influenza in 70-90% of cases
Stop you passing it on to someone at high medical risk
Because the vaccine doesn’t guarantee protection for those at high risk, it’s important also to prevent flu in everyone in contact with them
Provide added protection against related strains of the flu
New strains of influenza are constantly appearing. Because each new one is a mutation of an old one, flu vaccines often provide a level of protection against the other strains
Reduce the risk of lost earnings, missed travel or social events, and disruptions to education and sporting or professional careers.

Protect yourself or your business this year. Contact us for more information or to arrange vaccination.