{"id":607,"date":"2019-11-15T20:02:31","date_gmt":"2019-11-15T20:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/yow\/?p=607"},"modified":"2019-12-03T14:49:17","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T14:49:17","slug":"harming-the-herd-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/yow\/2019\/11\/15\/harming-the-herd-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Harming the herd"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.0.5″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” locked=”off”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/yow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/YOW-logo.png” url=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/yow\/” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ height=”270px” custom_padding=”||0px|||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_social_media_follow use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”13px” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ text_orientation=”right” min_height=”18px” custom_margin=”-85px||-31px|||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||”][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”instagram” url=”https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/yowpublication\/” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ background_color=”#e8377c” background_enable_color=”on” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]instagram[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”twitter” url=”https:\/\/twitter.com\/Yowpublication” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ background_color=”#5ce1e6″ background_enable_color=”on” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]twitter[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”youtube” url=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCj4rs1qjq7orfknOqBrnaKw” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ background_color=”#ffb859″ background_enable_color=”on” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]youtube[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][\/et_pb_social_media_follow][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.22″ background_color=”#f7f7f7″ custom_padding=”||1px|||” locked=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_menu fullwidth_menu=”off” dropdown_menu_bg_color=”#f2f2f2″ dropdown_menu_line_color=”#5ce1e6″ dropdown_menu_text_color=”#000000″ logo=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/yow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Copy-of-About-YOW-3.png” show_search_icon=”on” search_icon_color=”#5ce1e6″ cart_icon_font_size=”20px” search_icon_font_size=”20px” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ menu_font=”News Cycle|600|||||||” menu_text_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.81)” menu_font_size=”18px” menu_letter_spacing=”1px” background_color=”#f2f2f2″ min_height=”48px” custom_margin=”-1px|||||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” border_width_top=”1px” border_width_right=”0px” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_width_left=”0px” menu_line_height__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_menu][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ locked=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.0.6″ title_font=”News Cycle|700|||||||” title_text_color=”#ffffff” title_font_size=”41px” meta_text_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/yow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Get-you-flu-shot-today-800-450.jpg” height=”736px” custom_margin=”-1px||||false|false” custom_padding=”635px||||false|false”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”2px|||||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.6″ custom_padding=”3px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.6″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.6″ text_font=”News Cycle|700|||||||” text_font_size=”22px” min_height=”41px” custom_margin=”10px||1px|||” custom_padding=”15px||1px|||”]<\/p>\n

Is vaccine complacency dashing Ottawa\u2019s hopes at herd immunity?<\/p>\n

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As another Ottawa winter looms, promising bitter cold, icy roads and heavy snows, the city braces for a more microscopic threat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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For most, the flu is little more than a perennial nuisance; yet another reason to dread the coming of winter. But for some deemed at-risk for complications related to infection, such as pregnant women, young children and elderly people, the flu season poses a real danger.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cProtect yourself and others from the flu.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This directive, posted on the Ottawa Public Health website, promotes mass immunization in the name of protecting society\u2019s most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

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This is known as herd immunity, achieved when enough people are immunized to diminish the spread of disease throughout the population.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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But is Ottawa really getting the message?\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Ottawa Public Health data<\/a> suggests that fewer people are getting the flu shot, a trend that might prove dangerous for at-risk populations. This departure from the objectives of herd immunity, along with province-wide delays in the delivery of the high-dose vaccine, may heighten the severity of the upcoming flu season, especially for the elderly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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In the 2017-18 flu season, just 34 per cent of adults aged 18 to 64 reported receiving the shot, 12 per cent less than the turnout five years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n