Megan Tiernan took one for her team in order to vaccinate her unborn baby girl against influenza.
The mother-to-be visited the Da Vinci Centre Tuesday for the second day of the 2011 flu clinic launch.
The first day saw more than 800 people line up throughout the day to receive their flu shots. Tiernan, an academic adviser at Confederation College, said since she’s around students there’s a higher chance that she could catch the flu and she wanted to take all the necessary precautions to protect her baby.
“I think it is important to get the flu shot while pregnant because the antibodies from the flu shot will be passed on to the baby and then again through nursing,” said Tiernan, who is due in November.
“I did get the flu shot every year just because of the population that I worked with. Also, my father is elderly and he’s going to be moving into a retirement home. I would like to be able to visit him and not be able to spread the flu to everybody that he lives with.”
Tiernan said she knows a few people who don’t get the flu shot and often hears that the vaccination doesn’t do the job or they aren’t at risk so they don’t need it. Each year she tells them that it is better to be safe than sorry.
“I think it is important to just be preventative and If you have the chance to do that why not?” she said.
David Williams, medical officer of health with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, said about 3,000 to 4,000 people across Canada die from influenza each year. Last year, fewer came out to get a flu shot. In order to give more people a chance to receive the vaccination, the Health Unit has started the free flu clinics earlier.
Williams said he hoped that would be enough for people to come out and receive the shot.
“Just because it is not here right at the moment doesn’t mean it can’t arrive at any time,” Williams said.
“We have a window of opportunity now to start vaccinating and get your immune systems stronger to take on those influenza viruses.
“We’re not talking about your mild respiratory virus. We’re talking about Influenza A, which is a serious and severe illness.”
Williams added the shot will also include vaccination against H1N1
