RICHMOND, British Columbia, Oct. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Getting vaccinated is crucial for individuals at high-risk for developing flu-related complications such as newborns, young children, pregnant women, and adults with chronic medical conditions. This year, London Drugs pharmacists are also reminding healthy individuals that one of the best reasons to get the flu shot is not just to protect yourself, but to protect those who are most vulnerable.
“Many people mistakenly believe there’s no need to get a flu shot because they are healthy,” says Gianni Del Negro, Pharmacist at London Drugs. “But good health is not an excuse to skip the vaccine. Getting a flu shot can save lives by preventing the spread of illness to high-risk individuals living in our communities.”
To reinforce this message, London Drugs is providing added incentive to get immunized this year. For every flu shot administered at any one of its 80 pharmacies, a lifesaving vaccine will be donated to UNICEF Canada to immunize children in a developing country against tetanus, polio or measles.
“Anyone who receives the flu shot at our pharmacies will be making a global impact, providing life-saving vaccinations to children worldwide, while taking care of their own health needs and potentially saving the lives of people in their own community as well,” says Del Negro.
London Drugs’ vaccination donation campaign is in partnership with I Boost Immunity (IBI), an online immunization advocacy network managed by the Public Health Association of British Columbia (PHABC), the BC Centre for Disease Control and funded by the BC Ministry of Health.
“Our goal is to increase awareness about the importance of getting vaccinated and to improve immunization rates both here in Canada and across the globe,” says Shannon Turner, Executive Director of the Public Health Association of BC. “By getting this year’s flu vaccine at London Drugs, Canadians can play an active role in helping to protect tens of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable children from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
I Boost Immunity has donated over half a million vaccines for children through UNICEF since March of 2016 through various campaigns.
“Since diseases cross local and national boundaries, vaccinating anyone, anywhere in the world, benefits all of us,” adds Turner.
To learn more about getting the flu shot at London Drugs, visit: http://www.LondonDrugs.com/flu.
ABOUT LONDON DRUGS
Founded in 1945, B.C.-based London Drugs has 80 stores in more than 35 major markets throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba including its online store www.londondrugs.com. London Drugs offers consumers a range of products from digital cameras and cosmetics to computers and televisions. Renowned for its creative approach to retailing, the company employs more than 7,500 people with pharmacy and health care services being the heart of its business. Committed to innovation and superior customer service, London Drugs has established itself as a reputable and caring company and continues to position itself for future growth and development. For more information, visit www.LondonDrugs.com.
ABOUT I BOOST IMMUNITY
I Boost Immunity (IBI) is a Canadian-based online learning platform about vaccination and science that rewards individual knowledge with vaccines for kids. The website uses quizzes, articles and stories in a fun and engaging way to raise local literacy about immunization, and pairs it with a global reward: childhood vaccines through UNICEF. For each quiz question you get right on I Boost Immunity, the site will donate one vaccine to immunize a child in support of UNICEF Canada. For more information, visit www.iboostimmunity.com.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Wendy Hartley 604-817-2758 [email protected]