What do I need to know about this year’s flu shot? | CBC radio

Experts say it’s almost time to roll up your sleeves for the annual flu shot.

But this year, some pharmacists say people have questions about the launch of the influenza vaccine, which will coincide with the launch of COVID-19 vaccines that target omicron strains — also known as bivalent vaccines.

Ashley Davidson, pharmacist and co-owner of Shoppers Drug Mart in St. Albert, Alta. has asked many questions.

“So many people are asking about flu shots, and I think a lot of those conversations are about how they schedule their shots and what that looks like?” she told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of the CBC podcast the dose.

This is what experts are saying about this year’s flu vaccines.

What do we know about the upcoming flu season?

The number of flu cases this year could look a little different than in recent years.

“What has changed over the last two years is that we’ve had historic lows during the pandemic and we’re now in a period of uncertainty about when it will come back, what it will look like,” said Dr. Robyn Harrison, vice chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and infectious disease specialist, on Wednesday during a webinar on seasonal flu.

An example of what could be coming is Australia’s recent flu season, which comes ahead of Canada because it’s in the southern hemisphere.

The country recently had its worst season in years, with data from the Australian Department of Health and Elderly Care Influenza infections were higher than the five-year average, and infections increased significantly and then dropped earlier than usual.

Canadians haven’t had much exposure to the flu in recent years either, due to mask requirements and other public health measures put in place during the pandemic, Davidson said.

“One thing that strikes me this year is that we will not have masks in schools. So that will also increase the potential exposure to the flu virus for children,” she said.

According to experts, influenza is a serious disease. As of 2019, it’s estimated that Canada will have an average of 12,000 flu hospitalizations each year and about 3,500 flu-related deaths each year, Harrison said.

Influenza is very contagious and spreads by droplets that cause infection. Symptoms can vary but commonly include fever, sore throat, runny nose, cough, fatigue, and muscle aches.

Who is eligible for a flu shot?

Experts say it’s important to get the flu shot every year because vaccine-induced immunity wanes over time.

According to this, three types of influenza vaccines are approved in Canada to NAZI:

• Inactivated flu vaccine
• Recombinant influenza vaccines
• Live attenuated influenza vaccine

Anyone six months or older who has not had a known adverse reaction to the vaccine should have a flu shot every year.

“The reason children under the age of six months are not included is because we know they do not develop a good immune response to flu vaccines,” said Dr. Jesse Papenburg, Specialist in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology, during Wednesday’s webinar. He is also chairman of the NAKI flu working group.

He said the proposed flu shots schedule for children aged nine and older and adults is one dose of the flu vaccine at the start of the flu season.

For children ages six months to eight years who have not yet received the flu vaccine, NACI recommends two doses at least four weeks apart.

Who shouldn’t get the flu shot?

Papenburg said the NACI recommendations for those who should not get the flu shot include:

• Individuals who have had an anaphylactic reaction to any component of the vaccine other than eggs.
• People who have developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) within six weeks of a previous flu shot (unless another cause is found).
• infants under six months.

NACI’s recommendations on who should not receive the live-attenuated influenza vaccine can be found here.

When should I get the flu vaccine?

Davidson recommends that people get the influenza vaccine as soon as it becomes available.

Canada’s flu season typically lasts from mid-October to April or early May, Davidson said.

“I will often remind patients that while you can get the flu shot right away, it takes about two weeks for an immune response to that shot to develop,” she said.

“It’s important to get your vaccination as soon as possible to ensure you’re covered during flu season.”

Can I get a flu shot and a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time?

For most people, the short answer is yes.

For people five years of age and older, all seasonal influenza vaccines, including the live-attenuated influenza vaccine, can be given at the same time, or before or after other vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines the latest recommendations by NAZI.

“It’s important to stay protected from both viruses throughout the winter,” Davidson said.

However, according to NACI, children aged six months to five years should not receive a COVID-19 vaccine and an influenza vaccine at the same time, which instead recommends that people in this age group wait 14 days between COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines.

It is a precautionary approach “to prevent erroneous attribution of adverse events following immunization with one vaccine or another,” the committee’s recommendations say.

How effective are flu vaccines this year?

Experts say influenza vaccines have been shown to help prevent influenza, transmission, complications and hospitalizations.

The effectiveness of flu vaccines can vary from year to year because it all depends on the strains circulating, Davidson and Harrison said.

For the 2004-2005 to 2019-20 flu season, Harrison said flu vaccine efficacy in Canada has varied between about 40 percent and 70 percent.

Every year, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) make recommendations on which strains of the influenza virus vaccines should target.

This year, WHO recommended three strains of influenza – one influenza A (H1N1); one influenza A (H3N2) and one influenza B – for inclusion in the trivalent flu vaccine.

Although the effectiveness of the flu vaccine can vary, Harrison and Davidson agree that it offers protection.

“The vaccine’s effectiveness may not be 100 percent and may not last more than a year, but it’s having an impact and that’s why it’s recommended,” Harrison said.

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Written and produced by Stephanie Dubois