Don’t let the flu slow you down

Don’t let the flu slow you down

May 15, 2015

With the Christchurch rebuild ramping up, the last thing Cantabrian’s need is influenza slowing them down.

Dr Ramon Pink says the flu can be debilitating and can take you out of work for weeks.

“This is why it’s important everyone gets immunised to stay healthy, well and stop the spread of this virus,” Dr Pink says.

He says the Canterbury DHB commends responsible employers who offer influenza vaccine each year to their employees.

“This is a really great way to help protect staff and your business.

“The flu can really knock you for six and in some cases lead to complications, resulting in hospital admission and weeks out of action and in the worst case scenario even death.

“Protecting your workforce with a flu vaccine is a solid investment.”

Already this year Canterbury has immunised 136,840 people, which a great effort is considering the late arrival of the vaccine this year, Dr Pink says.

Up to August 31 last year Canterbury immunised 195,600.

“If we keep going at our current rate, hopefully we will beat last year’s figures, where we managed to immunise about 40 percent of our population.

Dr Pink is also reminding people who have a chronic illness, are 65 or over, or are and eligible for a free vaccine, to book in to have theirs at their General Practice team as soon as possible.

“It takes about two weeks after receiving your vaccine to be fully immunised, so it’s important to get it sooner rather than later,” he says.

For anyone not eligible for a free vaccine from their General Practice team or via their employer, Dr Pink encourages them to still consider investing in the small cost of getting immunised.

“Talk to your General Practice team or pharmacy about your options and the benefits of getting immunised. For those of you who’ve ever had the flu before, you’ll know too well that getting immunised to prevent it from happening again is a small price to pay compared to the cost of being severely unwell.”

Dr Pink says anyone new to Canterbury needs to enrol at a General Practice team to be eligible for subsidised health care in New Zealand.

“If you are feeling unwell, seek advice early from your General Practice team, which is why you need to be enrolled.”

ENDS

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