Everybody wants me....

I think I made the right choice when I decided to be a nurse. I'll never be short of work, ever. I worked 12hr nights all weekend and got home this morning feeling like a zombie, barely took my shoes off before falling into bed and when I woke up 6hrs later I had three messages from the staffing office asking me to come in for overtime. Days, nights, evenings, 8hrs, 12hrs, whatever I wanted for the rest of today and tomorrow. My 0.5 position is perfect cause extra shifts are double time so I'm making full time wages but not working full time. Why didn't I figure this out sooner? I've been busting my butt for the last 3 1/2 years working full time when I could have been less than full time but still getting paid as though I were. There's a few of us 'young ones' at work who have dropped to part time over the last few months and we're all kicking ourselves for not doing it sooner. It makes much more sense So I'm working 3pm-7pm on overtime tomorrow and told them that if they needed me to extend to 11pm I could do that too. A four hour shift really counts as 8hrs but it's only 4! This is so exciting and I got a raise too, well sort of $0.68 a hour or something like that for my third year of service! Yippee. Only 6 more years and I'm at the top of the payscale, halfway there! It's been a good day for me It's a good thing I can get so much overtime to combat my eBay addiction. I need to go to work so I'm not on eBay bidding on things that I'd never normally buy Stupid eBay!

Thinking of buying an Apple

I'm thinking of buying an Apple laptop. Anyone know anything about them? I like the features it offers for photos and such. This is the one I'm thinking of:

http://www.futureshop.ca/prodlink.asp?P=0665000FS10075463&L=EN

Check it out. Feedback would be greatly appreciated as I know next to nothing about computers.

Quick trip home

I finally got to go home this weekend! I havn't been to Kamloops since last October and even though this was a really quick trip I'm so glad that I went. I left Canmore on Thursday morning at 7am, drove to Sicamous and met my mom and Sue at mom's house, changed cars and drove to Kamloops just in time to see Steffie and Maureen graduate from university. I was so neat to be able to be there. Steffie and Maureen have been close family friends for the last 17 years. Steffie is like another little sister to me and Maureen is the strongest, most inspirational woman I know. It was so great to see them walk across that stage and accept their degrees that they have worked so hard for and how cool is it that mother and daughter are in the same university graduating class! After the ceremony we met up with Niki who I don't get to see nearly enough of so it was great that she was able to come see us. Then we headed back to the Rothman's house for a celebratory BBQ and then back to Sicamous that night. It was an exhausting day having spent 8hrs in the car but well worth it. It's always a blast from the past going back to Kamloops. It feels like a lifetime ago since I actually lived there even though technically it's my 'hometown' So much has changed and yet so much has stayed the same. We drove by the house I grew up in and they painted the garage doors that used to be dark red, white. It looks terrible! It doesn't even look like my house anymore. The front door is still dark red though and Sue and I realized that we used to be the girls who lived behind the red door! (All you One Tree Hill fans know what I mean). Yesterday mom and I spent the day cleaning out my car. Holy crap! I filled her entire garbage can with stuff that I didn't even know I had in there. It was gross. It looks so good now all washed and waxed and clean. Let's see how long that lasts! Today mom made me go to garage sales with her and I managed to buy the ugliest coffee table ever to be made but it was only $10 and we needed a coffee table. Sue's pretty creative maybe she can fix it up. I better go deal with laundry since I have to be up for work at 5am tomorrow. Can't complain too much though, it's 12hrs of overtime tomorrow!

I quit my job today

I quit my job at the clinic today. I'd hit a brick wall and I just couldn't cope with the verbal and emotional abuse anymore. I am feeling so relieved right now. On Thursday I was dreading having to go to work on Monday. That's not right. I have been so stressed and worn out the last month or so because of this job, it was time for me to quit. I left letters of resignation for all the docs explaining why I just couldn't take it anymore and apologizing for leaving everyone in the lurch. I spoke with occupational health and wellness at the hospital yesterday and realized that the clinic is within the health region so their "zero tolerance" policy with regards to abuse does apply to me. They were appalled and told me that I have every right to up and quit to get out of the situation and if they give me hassle about not giving notice OH&S will back me up. Good to know because I had to get out of there, I don't think I could have handled another day. I didn't realize just how down I was feeling until today when I decided to quit and felt a million times better. Now the plan is to pick up more shifts at the hospital which won't be a problem since they've called me for overtime 3 times just this week! I might apply at the hospital and public health here as well. I'm just going to play it by ear for the next few weeks and see how it goes.

Lazy Monday Morning

I don't remember the last time I had a monday off work. This is great! I'm so much happier with my new and much improved work schedule. This week I work Tues and Wed at the clinic, Fri in Calgary and Saturday at the clinic. Only 4 days of work and still full time hours! Fantastic. Much better than trying to fit in shifts at the hospital and working 6 days a week or 10 days straight like I did earlier this month. I think I mentioned that I picked up a 0.5 part time position on my unit at the Foothills?? Anyways, I did, and I start on Friday! It's a temporary position until September, 12 hr shifts, day and nights so it works out to anywhere between 1-3 shifts a week. Then I'll fill in the rest at the clinic to make up full time hours. It's perfect for me cause I qualify for full benefits for my much needed massages and it's only until September so I can do it over the summer, see how it goes and then decide what I want to do over the winter. I'm filling in for someone who's been off with a back injury for the last year so the position could likely be extended beyond September if I want. I think she'll retire before ever coming back to her job. The commute is going to be easy this summer. It's only 50 mins, less than some people have in the city, no snow and the sun will be up when I go to work and when I come home. In the winter it sucks because it's snowy and dark both ways. I'm really excited. I miss being at the hospital with my friends, the babies, the patients.....everything. I think I'll be much happier now.

Sesame Street Presonality Quiz

You Are Cookie Monster

Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth. You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around. You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking How you life your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

No kidding eh? I could have figured that out myself. I love cookies! I'm a natural Cookie Monster.

Trip to the Cape

I had a great 6 days visiting my Dad in Cape Cod. It was long overdue and I'm really glad I was able to get out there one last time before Dad and Candace relocate to California next week. We had a great day in Boston at the New England Aquarium and the IMAX. The aquarium was amazing. They have a huge tank in the middle, 26ft deep and 40 some odd ft across with 600 types of sea creatures. My favorite was Myrtle the 600lb sea turtle. They had 2 sharks in the tank too! Scuba divers go in 5 times a day and feed the fish. The penguins were pretty cool too. I love aquariums!


We went on a 3D African Safari at the IMAX. There were elephants, lions, rinos and leopards and it looked like they were coming right out of the screen at you. The little kids in the row ahead of us kept reaching out trying to touch them. On Sunday we went to Provincetown and had lunch and then to see the Da Vinci Code. I saw the strangest think in Provincetown. A 70 some odd year old man? woman? not sure,sitting on a chair, wearing nothing but a leopard print bikini, singing. It was quite a sight. I was disappointed with the movie. I think it was because I had just finished reading the book and of course, it was way better. They took out a lot of the history in the book and made it more for Hollywood entertainment. On Monday and Tuesday Dad had to work during the day so I spent the days at the mall and the beach. On Tuesday night Dad's co-workers at the college had a really nice going away party for him. Wednesday was a llllooooonnnnnggg day! Long flights and long hours spent in airports, it was good to be home at the end of the day. Overall, it was a great trip! Thanks Dad!

eBay Addiction

I never really understood what all the hype was about with eBay. I have friends who have bought and sold items on eBay and listened to them rave about how much money they made and how easy it was but I was never tempted to try it. Then Laura told me that she cleaned out her closet and sold all her old clothes on eBay and made $250. Well, if you've ever seen my closet you know that it's jam packed full of clothes and I only wear about half of them. It's pretty bad although I know some people, not mentioning any names Fiona, who have way more clothes than me! So I figured that I'd clean out my closet and see what I could get. Well I found 14 pairs of jeans that I no longer wear so I thought I'd start with them. So far I've only sold 6 pairs and ended up breaking even at the end of it all but it's all about creating more room in my closet so I can go out and buy more! All the jeans looked like they were brand new so I couldn't justify giving them away. Some of them I'd only worn a few times and decided I didn't like them anymore. So now I'm constantly looking around the house for more things that I can sell! Hmmm...how much do you think I'd get for Susan?! just kidding

So now that I've figured out selling I thought I'd see what I could buy. Well, never take me to a real auction cause it totally sucks me in and I can't stop. It's not even about if I want the item anymore it's about beating the other person betting against me! I do have my limits though. I'll never bid higher than what I could buy it for in the store. That would just be stupid. Currently I'm bidding on 3 really cute summer dresses and a hoodie. They're all brand new, tags still on, and super cheap! This eBay thing is great. Two of the auctions are ending tonight and I'm going to be at work so I'm a little concerned about people out bidding me in the last few minutes when there's nothing I can do about it! I have to win them! Since when did I get to be so competitive? it's so not like me! eBay is bringing out a whole other side of my personality

Wish me luck!

Bittersweet news....

It's been a bittersweet day for me. I spoke with my lawyer this morning and he's decided that it's finally time to file a claim against Melissa's restaurant for my accident. He had been waiting to hear from my docs that my neck isn't going to improve from what it is now and we have a pretty good idea what my future will look like. On the up side the ball is finally rolling on getting some compensation for my injuries, on the down side I'm not going to improve and need to get compensation because in the not to distant future I'm not going to be able to work full time anymore. I think I probably have about a year of full time work left in me. I'm working more than full time right now and I'm in pain everyday. I'm cutting back to 3 shifts a week at the clinic and I've applied for 6 part-time jobs in the Calgary Health Region (4 in Calgary and 2 in Canmore). So when it's time for me to go part-time at least I have a job within the health region with full benefit coverage. It is a little upsetting for me but I feel better knowing that something is being done about it.

It's been a month since I've had coffee! Actually, that's a lie, I had a coffee last weekend but poured half of it down the drain cause I couldn't finish it. I LOVE my matcha lattes now. I even bought some matcha so I can make them at home now! And they're healthy too! Yea me, no more coffee

I ran 5km yesterday and today. It's getting easier and easier every time I go. I think I need new shoes though cause my ankles get really sore, not to mention my knees. I love it though. Canmore has tons of trials all over town. I can go somewhere new each day. Gotta watch out for bears though. There's been warnings all over town. Cougars are what really scare me though cause you don't know they're there until they're on top of you. I havn't seen any wildlife yet. I'm taking my bike in tomorrow to get fixed up and my friend Laura and I are going to start biking home from work (Banff to Canmore) a few times a week.

Gotta go to bed. I'm addicted to the Da Vinci Code, again! I've read it once before and wanted to read it again before seeing the movie and once again, I can't put it down!

Running update...

I finally hit my stride today! It felt so good, I could have kept running forever but my calves started to cramp so I had to stop. I started at the top of the Three Sisters (the housing area, not the mountains) and followed the trails back down to the river, around the houses down there and then back UP the mountain. It was a brutal climb back up, my legs were BURNING! It was great. Hopefully I'll be able to walk tomorrow. I think I definately went over 5km but maybe not quite 10km. Ok, so I'm watching the news right now and they just did a story on how they're warning Canmore hikers about the increasing number of grizzly bears on the trails right now! YIKES! Apparently there's more grizzlys this year than last! Maybe I shouldn't have been out on the trials by myself today expecially with my IPod blaring. Hmmm. At least it was a fairly well populated area.

It's official...

I've decided to become a runner again. I used to be pretty good, back in the day, when I was 12, but my glorious running career was cut short by bad knees and too many other things to do. So I decided to give it another try. When I was a kid my Dad and I used to do 5km "fun runs" all the time and my mom would give me a dollar for every minute that I beat him. Well now my Dad is a marathon runner and oh how the tables have turned! So I went running twice last week and could barely walk after each time but getting started is the hardest part and the first 5 runs are bound to be brutal. I had good intentions to go more than twice last week but ended up going on a hike last Friday and then with my ear infection this week...I kind of fell off the running wagon. It was a gorgeous day today, not a single cloud in the sky, warm and sunny and it inspired me to go running. My knees were screaming at me for the first 5 mins but once they warmed up it was all good. I was only out for about 30 mins today but that was enough. I'm hoping that after the first 5 runs I won't feel like puking and having a heart attack after 30 mins. Haha. I can already feel my calves tightening up and my knees aching and I probably won't be able to walk tomorrow but I'm determined to keep at it until it stops hurting...here's hoping that one day it will!

Hedley Concert!

The Hedley concert at Wild Bills last weekend was AWESOME! Maybe even better than the Barenaked Ladies. It was the Coors Light party that night so that explains why the Hedley dude is dressed as a Coors Light Girl. I was impressed, he wore fishnet tights, booty shorts and boots for the entire concert. Sue had her picture taken with him.

My new obsession....

The Matcha Latte. Never heard of it? Well I hadn't either until this past weekend. Beamers Cafe in Canmore introduced me to Matcha Lattes. Basically it's a green tea latte but it's special because it's made with matcha green tea powder. Here's a link to a website all about it:

http://www.teacentre.ca/matcha.htm

This is why I like it the most, it's healthy. Check out the nutritional value:

• Vitamins A,B6, B-complex, C, E, K, niacin, folate, riboflavin, thiamin
• Trace minerals calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, sodium
• Rich source of L-theanine & amino acids which improve calmness, mental alertness
• Strong blood detoxifer and alkalyzer due to high chlorophyll content
• 70 times the antioxidants of orange juice,
• nine times the beta carotene of spinach and 4 times the beta carotene of carrots
• Extremely rich in polyphenols (antioxidants) and catechins, especially epigallocatechin gallate ( EGCG )
• Boosts metabolic rate by 35-40% in regular drinkers, thus assisting in weight loss

You have to try it!

You've got to be kidding me!

Ok, remember how I said, snow is ok as long as it's not here for Easter Weekend?
Well, it's freakin' snowing! Unbelievable! It's not sticking to the ground at least but it's still snowing!

If your favorite NHL team was a movie, what would it be??

I thought this was kind of fun especially now that the regular season is coming to an end and playoffs are going to be starting soon. Go Flames Go! #1 in the Western conference. I'm not really a flames fan but you have to cheer for the "local" team and Jerome who used to be a Blazer! So I picked a few teams who I know are some favorites for the people who read my blog.

Vancouver
Movie: Failure To Launch
Summary: A big-ticket, big-name team panders to its ego and meanders through the second half of the year, more than likely resulting in the Canucks missing the playoffs.
Real Review: "How, exactly, did an idea with this much star power...manage to misfire?" -- Peter Howell, TORONTO STAR

Toronto
Movie: Sliding Down
Summary: A documentary whose subjects begin the film on an icy peak, only to see things go downhill from there.
Real Review: "I have a sneaking suspicion that [this] is a huge put-on, the latest jape from Christopher Guest and his merry band of mockumentary tricksters." -- MaryAnn Johanson, FLICK FILOSOPHER

Ottawa
Movie: Take The Lead
Summary: A suave and debonair teacher (er, Bryan Murray) shows a group of youngsters how to set the stage on fire with slick moves and various combinations of "jazz hands".
Real Review: "An unabashed crowd pleaser that gets the job done." -- Steve Schneider, ORLANDO WEEKLY

Colorado
Movie: Rocky Road
Summary: The Avs' season was cruising along swimmingly until GM Pierre Lacroix rolled the dice in a big way, acquiring highly paid underachiever Jose Theodore from Montreal. Now there's no assurance the team will even make the playoffs.
Real Review: "May have been created out of good intentions, but then again, there's that old adage about a certain road being paved with such intentions." -- Ted Murphy, BASELINE.HOLLYWOOD.COM

Calgary
Movie: Blood Work
Summary: Flames coach-GM Darryl Sutter demands two things from his players, both of which can be found in the title of the movie.
Real Review: "Populated by hard-edged characters who brighten up a somewhat mechanical plot." -- Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

I don't know what happened to Colorado this year. Disappointing. Alex Tanguay, let me down :0( All the years I supported him as an unsung hero....
And Vancouver! So much talent gone to waste. My two favorite teams....
At least Ottawa is doing well but then you can always count on Ottawa to do well.

SNOW??!!

I always sleep with my bedroom window open a little and I woke up this morning thinking "it's freaking freezing in here!" So I open my blind to close the window and everything was white! I thought it was spring! It's been warm and sunny for the last week and then all of a sudden we get winter again! I guess that's what happens when you live in the mountians. I'd forgotten that winter can come and go until June. The snow was gone by the end of the day and it had warmed up but is still kind of raining on and off. It's supposed to warm up by the weekend again. As long as we don't have snow for Easter Weekend!

My Coffee

Look at how cool my coffee looked this morning! Coffee...amazing in so many ways!

I'm off to Calgary today to do a little essential shopping and then I'm working at the hospital for 4hrs this afternoon. I figured since I had to go to Calgary anyways I might as well work a few hours and make some money! I'm planning a trip to Ireland and Italy this fall and this time I'm really going to do it so everything extra I make at the hospital is going into a separate account designated for my trip! I'm super excited.

Yummy Yogurt Pops!

These have been a favorite of mine since my mom used to make them for me as a kid. They're soooo goood.

You need:

1 box of Jello powder
1 cup boiling water
1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

Add the water to the Jello and stir to dissolve then add the yogurt and mix thoroughly. Pour into popsicle mold and freeze. Run popscicle under hot water to remove from mold.

Enjoy!

Thimerosal and the Influenza Vaccination

Questions & Answers: Thimerosal-Containing Influenza Vaccine

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/thimerosal.htm

What is thimerosal?
Thimerosal is a very effective preservative that has been used since the 1930s to prevent contamination in some multi-dose vials of vaccines (preservatives are not required for vaccines in single dose vials). Thimerosal contains approximately 49% ethylmercury. There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site. However, in July 1999 the Public Health Service (PHS) agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and vaccine manufacturers agreed that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure.
Today, all routinely recommended licensed pediatric vaccines that are currently being manufactured for the U.S. market, with the exception of influenza vaccine, contain no thimerosal or only trace amounts. Thimerosal preservative-free influenza vaccines are available, but in limited quantities. The total amount of inactivated influenza vaccine available without thimerosal as a preservative will continue to increase as manufacturing capabilities are expanded.

Does the influenza vaccine contain thimerosal?
Yes, the majority of influenza vaccines distributed in the United States currently contain thimerosal as a preservative. However, some contain only trace amounts of thimerosal and are considered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be preservative-free. Manufacturers of preservative-free flu vaccine use thimerosal early in the manufacturing process. The thimerosal gets diluted as the vaccine goes through the steps in processing. By the end of the manufacturing process there is not enough thimerosal left in the vaccine to act as a preservative and the vaccine is labeled ‘preservative-free'.

Is influenza vaccine that does not contain thimerosal as a preservative available this flu season (2005-2006)?
For the 2005-06 flu season, a limited amount of influenza vaccine that does not contain thimerosal as a preservative is available. Sanofi pasteur estimates that they will produce 6-8 million doses of thimerosal-free vaccine this year. GlaxoSmithKline projects that they will produce 8 million doses of preservative-free vaccine for use in people 18 years of age and over. A minimal number of preservative-free vaccine may be available from Chiron late in the influenza season. Also, the nasal-spray influenza vaccine (sold commercially as FluMist®) does not contain any thimerosal and can be given to healthy people 5 to 49 years of age who are not pregnant.

Is it safe for children to receive an influenza vaccine that contains thimerosal?
Yes. There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the small amount of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor effects like swelling and redness at the injection site due to sensitivity to thimerosal. Most importantly, since 1999, newly formulated thimerosal preservative-free childhood vaccines (Hepatitis B, Hib, and DTaP) have been licensed. With the newly formulated childhood vaccines, the maximum total exposure during the first six months of life will now be less than three micrograms of mercury. Based on guidelines established by the FDA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), no child will receive excessive mercury from childhood vaccines regardless of whether or not their flu shot contains thimerosal as a preservative.

Recent research suggests that healthy children under the age of 2 are more likely than older children and as likely as people over the age of 65 to be hospitalized with flu complications. Therefore, vaccination with reduced or standard thimerosal-content flu vaccine is encouraged when feasible in children, including those that are 6-23 months of age.

Is it safe for pregnant women to receive an influenza vaccine that contains thimerosal?
Yes. A study of influenza vaccination examining over 2,000 pregnant women demonstrated no adverse fetal effects associated with influenza vaccine. Case reports and limited studies indicate that pregnancy can increase the risk for serious medical complications of influenza. One study found that out of every 10,000 women in their third trimester of pregnancy during an average flu season, 25 will be hospitalized for flu related complications.

Additionally, influenza-associated excess deaths among pregnant women have been documented during influenza pandemics. Because pregnant women are at increased risk for influenza-related complications and because a substantial safety margin has been incorporated into the health guidance values for organic mercury exposure, the benefits of influenza vaccine with reduced or standard thimerosal content outweighs the theoretical risk, if any, of thimerosal.

References

Ball LK, Ball R, Pratt RD. An assessment of thimerosal use in childhood vaccines. Pediatrics 2001;107(5):1147-54.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevention and control of influenza; recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR 2002; 51(RR03):1-31.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recommendations regarding the use of vaccines that contain thimerosal as a preservative. MMWR 1999;48(43):996-8.

Heinonen OP, Shapiro S, Monson RR, Hartz SC, Rosenberg L, Slone D. Immunization during pregnancy against poliomyelitis and influenza in relation to childhood malignancy. Int J Epidemiol 1973;2:229–35.

Izurieta HS, Thompson WW, Kramarz P, et al. Influenza and the rates of hospitalization for respiratory disease among infants and young children. New Engl J Med 2000;342:232–9.

Kirshon B, Faro S, Zurawin RK, Samo TC, Carpenter RJ. Favorable outcome after treatment with amantadine and ribavirin in a pregnancy complicated by influenza pneumonia: a case report. J Reprod Med 1988;33:399–401.

Neuzil KM, Wright PF, Mitchel EF, Griffin MR. Burden of influenza illness in children with asthma and other chronic medical conditions. J Pediatr 2000;137:856–64.

Neuzil KM, Reed GW, Mitchel EF, Simonsen L, Griffin MR. Impact of influenza on acute cardiopulmonary hospitalizations in pregnant women. Am J of Epidemiol 1998;148(11):1094-102.

Shahab SZ, Glezen WP. Influenza virus. In: Gonik B, ed. Viral diseases in pregnancy. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1994:215–23.

More flu shot info...

Influenza is a very contagious disease caused only by the influenza virus. Other illnesses often have the same symptoms and are often mistaken for influenza. But, only an illness caused by the influenza virus is truly influenza. This is taken from the Canadian Communicable Disease Report on the 2004-2005 flu season. "Between 22 August, 2004 and 12 March, 2005, a total of 68,849 laboratory tests for influenza were reported, of which 10,319 (14.9%) were positive." Only 14.9% of people who suspected they had the flu were actually infected with the influenza virus. I get people in the clinic everyday telling me "I got a flu shot this year and I'm still sick?!" You're likely not infected with the influenza virus, you likely have a different virus or you have a different strain of the influenza virus that the immunization does not protect you from.

Influenza can lead to other illness such as pneumonia which is especially deadly in the elderly population or people with compromised immune systems, heart or breathing problems. Does that mean that if you're not living with elderly people or anyone who is immunocompromised, that you don't need the flu shot?? The decision is always yours to make but think about the people who you come into contact with everyday. Your elderly neighbor, maybe your co-worker who hasn't confided in you that he has a congenital heart defect, the 8 year old child across the street who was born prematurly and now has asthma... How do you know that you're not giving the virus to people who are at risk?

These are the recommendations that the Canadian Communicable Disease Centre made for the 2005-2006 Influenza Vaccine based on the previous years' statistics:

"The antigenic characteristics of current and emerging influenza virus strains provide the basis for selecting the strains included in each year's vaccine. NACI (National Advisory Committee on Immunization) recommends that the trivalent vaccine for the 2005-2006 season in Canada contain A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1)-like, an A/California/7/2004 (H3N2)-like, and a B/Shanghai/361/2002-like virus strains. Vaccine producers may use antigenically equivalent strains because of their growth properties. The A/New York/55/2004 is antigenically equivalent to the A/California/7/2004 (H3N2) virus strain; B/Jiangsu/10/2003 is antigenically equivalent to Influenza B/Shanghai/361/2002 virus strain. The vaccines to be marketed in Canada for the 2005-2006 flu season contains A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1), A/New York/55/2004 (H3N2), and B/Jiangsu/10/2003 virus antigens. Continual antigenic drift of the influenza virus means that a new vaccine, updated yearly with the most current circulating strains, is needed to protect against new infections."

We find out how correct the CCDC was in estimating the components of the influenza vaccination when the 2005-2006 report is released next fall. It is not just a "guess" as to which strains to include in the vaccine. The vaccination is created based on statistics from past flu seasons. The strains that were prevalent not just last year but years before that as well. Some strains that may have been dormant in the past, come back to haunt us again, and this time they've mutated and become more virulent. That's the problem, strains mutate and change and become more deadly each year. It's impossible to keep up with all the different mutations, it's even more impossible to vaccinate against each one. The best we can do is choose the most prevalent strains, the most deadly, the ones who are the most antigenically equivalent to other strains and protect ourselves against them. We are long overdue for another influenza pandemic and it will come but that is another topic entirely. All I'll say about that is that each year there are more and more protocols and procedures in place to guide health care professionals in identifying and coping with a global influenza outbreak. It is going to make the SARS outbreak look minor.