P.E.I. not ready to fund Fluzone, top doc says

Island seniors can't get the high-dose flu shot free through the provincial flu program.

Fluzone offers four-times the immune response than the regular flu shot. It was approved last year by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The vaccine is being marketed to anyone 65 or older.

• Visits restricted at Montague hospital due to flu cases

But P.EI.'s chief public health officer says it was not included in the national contract when this season's flu vaccine was ordered.

Available at pharmacies

Dr. Heather Morrison says "at this point, there is not enough evidence of improved clinical outcomes to justify the significantly greater cost."

No province or territory in Canada is publicly funding the vaccine at this point, she said.

It is, however, available to purchase at pharmacies.

According to info on the Health Agency website, two control trials showed the high-dose shots were 12 to 24 per cent more effective in helping seniors fight the flu. But the vaccine also had a higher rate of some reactions, as well.

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