Most Canadians didn’t get H1N1 vaccine
About 60% of Canadians aged 12 and over didn’t get vaccinated against the H1N1 virus during the last flu season, according to Statistics Canada figures released Thursday.
The study found 16.5 million Canadians didn’t get vaccinated, compared to about 11.6 who million did. The figures exclude people living in the territories. The most common reason people cited for not getting vaccinated was that they “did not reckon it was necessary”, according to the self-reported data collected in the 2010 Canadian Community Health Survey.
About 13% of the respondents indicated they simply didn’t get around to going in for the shot. Another 7% said they had a “dread” about the vaccine.
Males were more likely than females to feel that the shot was unnecessary while females were more likely to say they just hadn’t gotten around to getting the vaccine.
Health-care workers were more likely to have received the shot against the new influenza strain, also known as swine flu, that emerged in April 2009.
About 66% of health-care workers reported receiving the vaccine compared.
About 55% of individuals reporting chronic conditions also got the vaccine compared to 38% of those without chronic conditions.
Canadians who received their seasonal flu shot were also more likely to get the H1N1 vaccine.
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One Response to “Most Canadians didn’t get H1N1 vaccine”
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October 5th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
No vaccine is 100% safe for everyone. And flu vaccines cause mild but common reactions. About one in three people get a sore arm from the shot, some with a small redness or even swelling. Some 10% to 15% of people feel tired or get a headache; some may even run a low fever. And vaccines can trigger rare but serious reactions, even among people with no apparent allergies or sensitivities.