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BC Lung Association gives BC an “A” for flu vaccination

As we prepare to wrap up the flu season, BC and Quebec Lung Association is issuing a “Flu Report Card” grading

BC Lung Association gives BC an “A” for flu vaccination

As we prepare to wrap up the flu season, BC and Quebec Lung Association is issuing a “Flu Report Card” grading provinces across the country on getting flu vaccination.

BC tops the country with the highest vaccination rate and is the only province with more than half the population immunized, 52% to be exact.

However, this also means half of the population in BC were not vaccinated and there are still room for improvement for the next flu season. Quebec had the lowest vaccination rate at 27% and the highest flu incidence rate at 25%

Below are some key findings from the survey conducted by BC and Quebec Lung Association. The news release and the Flu Report Card are also attached for your reference.

·   BC had the highest vaccination rate at 52% and also the lowest flu incidence rate at 10%.

·    25% of Canadians still got the flu during a mild season with the same flu strains circulating since 2010.

·     48% of Canadians said they would be more likely to be vaccinated if the flu shot came with a smaller, thinner needle or if the vaccination process were faster and easier.

Overall, flu vaccination rates in Canada were very low with only 36% of Canadian adults reporting that they were vaccinated.  Surprise, surprise – provinces with the highest vaccination rates typically reported the lowest flu incidence rates.

Survey data also appears to suggest that an additional 9 million Canadians would be vaccinated if the flu shot came with a smaller, thinner needle or if the vaccination process were faster and easier. Almost half (48%) of Canadians surveyed said they would be more likely to get the flu shot if the process was faster and easier and 43% of Canadians surveyed indicated that they would be more likely to get the flu shot if it came with a smaller, thinner micro-needle.

“Last year we hosted a vaccine clinic in downtown Montreal and we offered an intradermal vaccine with a smaller, thinner needle that comes pre-assembled, so the vaccination process was over in seconds,” said Dominique Massie.

“62% of people at our clinic preferred the experience with the smaller, thinner needle and about 80% of respondents gave the experience 10 out of 10.”

Next season is a whole new game!

The World Health Organization has recently recommended two strain changes to the composition of the 2012-2013 seasonal influenza vaccine.

These significant changes make it even more critical for patients to get vaccinated against the flu next season.

Last year’s vaccine will not protect against these two new strains.