Rankin Inlet (Sep 29/04) - It's back. I was watching the television the other night and right in the middle of Monday Night Football, the Ontario Ministry of Health was airing its new commercial for the flu shot.

I had to pinch myself. Not that we haven't already been preparing in Nunavut, but here it was again, right in front of our faces.

A year ago, for those who don't remember, the flu season hit us in the North with a vengeance. Sanikiluaq, Coral Harbour, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk and numerous other spots were hit hard by the flu bug.

In a little over four months, at least 2,400 people went to health centres with flu-like illnesses across Nunavut. Countless others stayed home and simply suffered with the fever, chills, aches, sore throat, cough and runny nose that characterize the flu.

The flu, or influenza, is a respiratory illness that is caused by a virus, which means the most potent antibiotics in the world can do nothing to stop it.

Antibiotics can only kill bacterial illnesses, not viral illnesses. Antibiotics will not help people with the flu.

Depending on the year, the flu can be more or less severe. For some unknown reason, about three or four times per century, the flu virus mutates and is incredibly nasty. In 1918, more than 50,000 Canadians died of the flu and another 20 million more died around the globe.

Surprising perspective

To put it into a surprising perspective, last year SARS caused a worldwide panic. However, it killed less than 800 people worldwide while influenza killed 1,500 people in Canada alone.

It cannot be overstated: the flu can be a very serious illness.

The flu virus is spread by minute droplets that are either coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. Sometimes the droplets land directly on you and you inhale them, while other times you touch the droplets as they sit on tables, counters, doorknobs or other surfaces.

This makes the influenza virus highly infective and quite easy to catch.

The best protection that anyone has against influenza is the flu shot. Each year, the flu shot is specifically manufactured to attack the most prevalent three or four strains of the flu circulating that year. It is a quick and relatively painless means of preventing you and your family members from getting sick with influenza.

The other best protection is washing your hands frequently with soap and warm water. Good hand washing can prevent you from catching the virus if you have touched a surface where it is lying. Soap and warm water will kill the virus without difficulty.

For those who do get the flu, it is very important that you do not go out in public. If you have the flu, you are highly contagious. You can spread the disease to many, many other people. If you are sick, it is important that you avoid places where other people go to in groups like the grocery store, the community centre, the arena and schools. It is best to stay home, drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest.

Usually, the illness only lasts a few days.

In Nunavut, all of the health centres will begin distributing the flu vaccine in early October.

If you are part of any of these groups, then you should get the vaccine:

- People over 50 years old (elders)

- Children between six months and five years of age

- People who are sick with heart or lung conditions

- People who have compromised immune systems

- People who live with people from the list above, or

- People who fulfil an essential service like health care workers, firefighters, RCMP officers, DPW workers, hamlet water and sewage employees.

- Fred Monpetit is a public health nurse in Rankin Inlet.