Flu shots will be available in Alberta starting Monday

Alberta Healthkickedoff the province's flu vaccination program Wednesday, and officials say 54 cases of influenza have already been recorded in the province overthe last few weeks.

Free flu shots for all Albertanssix months and olderwill be available beginningMonday.

People who get immunized see their risk of getting sick reducedby50 to 70 per cent, said Dr. MartinLavoie, Alberta's deputy chief medical officer of health.

"Every year we estimate that between 10 and 15 per cent of the population overall gets infected with influenza," he said. "Immunization is still the most effective way actually to protect yourself."

People with chronic medical conditions, older people and children are most at risk.

There were 5,311lab-confirmed cases of flu last season, between December and May, thehighest in five years.

More than one-third of those people ended upin hospital, and 62 people died.

Children under the age of four, teenagers and working adults aged 35 to 55 were the hardest hit groups,according to an Alberta Health report.

Cases of flu among seniors and the elderly were low compared to other years, health officials say, likely because older people had residual immunity to the H1N1 strain, the primary strainof flu in 2015-16.