The Saskatchewan Health Authority is hoping to inform residents and families about the importance of staying up-to-date on immunizations and childhood vaccinations.
Dr. David Torr, medical health officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Area Department Lead for the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine for the Integrated Rural Area, noted that respiratory viruses like influenza and COVID-19 are constantly evolving each year, while diseases such as measles haven't changed much over the years.
"We have a number of vaccines that reduce the severity of the illness, complications that arise from the illness, and reduce the risk of hospitalization," he shared. "As much as we further development of vaccines, the microorganisms are always on the go changing themselves, so vaccines have to be updated."
In addition to the annual flu and COVID-19 vaccines, it's important to keep up with childhood vaccinations for diseases and infections such as tetanus, measles, whooping cough, pneumonia, diphtheria, HPV, and more.
"We know that the microorganisms that cause tetanus are always in the soil, so it's very important to have that [vaccine] because you could fall down and get a cut or even an animal bite can put you at risk of tetanus exposure," said Dr. Torr. "If you get a dirty wound it's very easy to get tetanus from it."
The experienced medical health officer highlighted that people who travel abroad should especially receive vaccines because many countries have substantially higher rates of certain diseases and viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and measles.
People who travel to those high-risk areas and aren't immunized may contract the illnesses and return home to spread it to others who aren't immunized, often resulting in negative complications. "This is what we're seeing with measles out in the east for example," explained Dr. Torr. "Ontario had quite a significant outbreak and Quebec had the same, and more recently, New Brunswick.
"One person came in with measles from outside the country and the number of secondary cases that have resulted are still rising, it went from five to 25 to 44."
Anyone looking to book a vaccination or hoping to check if they are due for a booster shot can call a public health office or speak with a family physician.