Canada’s poorest seniors are 1.1 times less likely to get the flu shot than wealthy seniors. This inequality has persisted over time, but is shrinking as high-income seniors are getting the flu shot less often. Vaccination rates dropped 9% for Canada’s richest seniors between 2003-2013.
This flu season has been especially severe, with 53,898 cases to date, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. That’s a 70% increase from the same time last year. Almost half of all cases reported this year are in adults 65 and older. Vaccination inequalities, and downward trends in vaccination among seniors, are concerning.
Influenza Immunization Rates in Canadian Seniors, by Income Level
Vaccination rates among seniors of all income levels are marginally higher in Western Canada, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s most recent data.
Flu activity is at peak levels in Eastern Canada, compared with the rest of the country, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Vaccination rates are especially low in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, at 60.2% and 54.4% respectively.
Interestingly, this season’s flu shot is less than 20% effective against the most common strains, according to Eurosurveillance. This brings the relationship between geographical vaccination rates and flu activity into question.
Seniors living in Eastern Canada are less likely to be vaccinated than their counterparts in Western provinces.
Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information, Trends in Income-Related Health Inequalities in Canada: Influenza Immunization for Seniors, 2016.