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18 - The Canadian Champion, Tuosday, March 2,1999 Th e flu, an unwelcome winter caiing card * from SEASON on page 8 arrive with ail the force of a speeding locomotive, but it pass- es. For some, however, it's flot so benign. For the vuinerable, thc flu is no lightweight. For seniors, or those suffcring from diabetes, hcart and lung dis- case, bronchitis, cmphysema, idd- ney disease, or cancer, the effects can be serjous, even Ieading to hospitalization. In other words, don't take chances with the flu, cautions the Halton Regional Health departmcnt. For those people, immunizationi is thc answer. Thosc living or working with vulnerablc people should also think about gctting immunized to prevent passing the disease on. Flu season generally runs front November to May. WVhile no one knows for certain why flu bits so oftcn in the wintcr ihc answer could Hec in Uic incoeascd tenden- cy to huddlc indoors. If prcvcntion is thc better part of a cure, that means immuniza- tion should take place before the flu has a chance to dig in. Immunization is donc through a vaccine made up of inactîvatcd flu virus particles. It is impossible to contract Uic flu from Uic immu- nization, healUi dcpartmcent docu- mentation indicatcs. The worst Uiat can happen is a littie discom- fort where Uic vaccine is injected. Since flu strains change yearly, so do vaccines. That meana the shot from last ycar won't protect people from thus year's monster. Whilc immunization goca a long way in protecting healUi, ît's flot foolproof. Some people may still contract the flu sometime aftcr immunization. If thcy do, thc severity is reduced. $11.5 billion more is. a real shot in the arm, for our healthcare. system. Healthcare is Canadians' most cherished program. That's why over the next five years, we're committing an additional $1 1.5 billion to healthcare. This investment will provide the provincial and territorial governments with substantially more money to deal with critical healthcare concerns, such as emergency room delays and waiting lists for surgery. At the same time, we're investing $1.4 billion into other health priorities like prevention and research for new treatments and cures. Canadians deserve a healthcare system they can depend on. We know there's still a lot of work to do, but we're committed to getting the job done, no matter what it takes. Budget '99 A STRONG BEGINNING TO A LONG TERM PLAN For more information about the 1999 Budget or on other Government of Canada programs and services cail 1 800 O-CANADA (1 800 622-6232> TTY: 1 800 465-7735 or visit our Web site at www.canada.gc.ca Caiiad1 j-