POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 45 Randy MacKenzie rolled up his sleeve to protect himself from an illness that kills more Nova Scotians annually than SARS did in Canada this year. The Truro Police Services s e rgeant was the first member of the force to receive his flu shot and said it was well worth the five minutes it took. This week free flu vaccines for people with high risk of contracting severe influenza and its complications will be available at doctors’ offices and community flu immunization clinics across Colchester-East Hants. More than 2,500 Nova Scotians are admitted to hospitals annually because of flu complications and more than 400 people die because of influenza infection. “People don’t take it seriously,” said Dianne Vaughan, manager of communicable disease control for the district. “Although the past couple of flu seasons have been quite mild, we don’t know what to expect this year,” she said. “We can’t stress enough how important it is for people to be immunized, particularly those who are at risk from the flu and those who are in contact with these individuals, including their families, health care workers and others.” Because health-care providers are often in frequent contact with those at risk of contracting the flu, it is imperative that they are vaccinated. This year health care worker students, police o fficers and fire fighters are also eligible for the vaccine, free of charge. The flu is caused by influenza A and B viruses and occurs in Canada every year, usually during the late fall and winter months. FLU THREAT GETS A SHOT IN THE ARM Front line workers protected as season approaches By Jason Malloy | Truro Daily News - Oct. 21/03 edition JASON MALLOY- TRURO DAILY NEWS Dianne Vaughan, manager of communicable disease control for Colchester-East Hants gives Sgt. Randy MacKenzie his flue shot. Residents are encouraged to visit on of the many clinics available during the next month throughout central Nova Scotia. Seventy people were killed on Nova Scotia’s roads last year - giving sombre significance yesterday, to a day marking road safety. Road Safety was the theme for World Health Day and Pictou County RCMP and municipal police forces marked the day with random checkpoints set up on roads across the county. Const. Todd St. Louis, Pictou County RCMP, said there were several checkpoints throughout the day with the main one being on the Vale Road in the afternoon. By the afternoon, he said there wer 13 seatbelt charges, three motor vechicle inspection charges, two registration charges and several verbal and written warnings given out, mostly for inspections that were overdue at the end of March. St. Louis said the numbers were fairly good. Ron Russell, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Transportation and Public Works, said even though collisions are called accidents, most are preventable. “Impaired driving is a factor in one of every four road users killed in Nova Scotia, and the non-use of seatbelts is a factor in an equal number of deaths. Clearly, nothing is more important than individual choices when it comes to road safety,” he said. Russell said the costs of unsafe driving are higher than most people think. The minister said one study found that in 1999, motor vehicle crashes cost Nova Scotians $74 milliion. In Nova Scotia, traffic fatalities peaked in the early 1970s. Since that time, Canada’s population has grown by 40 percent, and the number of vehicles has increased by 80 percent. Despite this increased mobility, the number of traffic fatalities has been cut by more than half. Checkpoints send road safety message Sara Crane The Evening News Random police checkpoints were set up across the county Wednesday to promote road safety, the theme of this year’s World Health Day. Working together at this checkpoint on the Vale Road in New Glasgow were, Const. Ken MacDonald of the New Glasgow Police, Const. Claire Corkum of Trenton Police and Const. Glen Murphy of Pictou County RMCP. Courtesy of The Evening News April 8, 2004 edition
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