All that sneezing and coughing in your university lecture may be part of a trend. Young adults are more likely to be affected by the flu than other age groups, according to statistics and experts.
According to Statistics Canada, only 17 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 received a flu shot in 2013-14, the lowest rate among all age groups. In comparison, 22 per cent of Canadians aged 35 to 44, 23 per cent aged 12 to 17, and 64 per cent of those 65 and over received the vaccine.
“Studies show that young adults get clinical flu at high rates, and they are likely to be the mode of transmission to the older and more vulnerable,” said James Dickinson, a professor in the health sciences department at the University of Calgary.
Data collected by Statistics Canada shows 56 per cent of Canadians who were not vaccinated in 2013-14 believed it was unnecessary to get the flu shot, while 26 per cent just didn’t get around to it.
“There are a lot of myths and misconceptions around vaccines in general and the flu vaccine that keep people from getting the flu,” said Joshua Pepper, a family physician and president of Health Quality Ontario (HQO), a provincial agency.
“In some cases people just really don’t like needles, in other cases people may not have a family doctor or know how or where to get the vaccine,” he added.
According to Statistics Canada, more than 12,200 Canadians are hospitalized for the flu and about 3,500 die on average each year.
Amro Mahgoub, a second-year biochemistry student at the University of Ottawa, said she gets a flu shot every two to three years.
She said she thinks there is a lot of misinformation about vaccines.
“Some people are driven by misinformation,” she said. “They fear that vaccines carry risks while others are lazy or believe that the flu shot is not important and won’t do any good.”
According to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a leading health agency based in the United States, the flu can spread to others up to about six feet away.
“The flu vaccine is absolutely the best way to protect yourself. Good hand washing, the ‘sleeve sneeze,’ and avoiding people who are sick with the flu are also other important activities,” Pepper said.
The vaccination for the flu is accessible for people of all ages to receive.
Students can get a flu shot at Carleton’s walk-in health clinic, a family doctor, select pharmacies, and most Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Ottawa.
“At school when you were younger it was really easy to get vaccinated because public nurses come to you,” said Adaku Huggins-Warner, a second-year Carleton law student.
She added that free vaccinations offered at places like Shoppers Drug Mart also makes it convenient.
Despite the lower immunization rates, data from Statistics Canada suggest hospitalization rates for young people are lower.
According to the statistics, 11.2 per cent of Canadians aged 20 to 44 were hospitalized because of the flu, compared to 21.2 per cent of people aged 44 to 64 and 67.7 per cent of Canadians aged 65 and older.
“I strongly recommend the flu vaccine,” Mahgoub said, “because influenza is a highly contagious viral disease.”
