Medcan Clinic Works To Improve The Flu Vaccine

By: James J. Aw, MD, DOHS, CTH (TM)
Medical Director

As part of an ongoing effort to improve seasonal influenza immunization, Medcan is participating in the Ontario Sentinel Vaccine Effectiveness Program. Influenza continues to pose significant health risks despite considerable Canadian investment in programs to fight it. The main problem is the mutating nature of the influenza virus. In preparing a flu vaccine, researchers try to match the vaccine against the flu strains circulating in the general population. This study evaluates how well current vaccines match currently circulating flu strains, so that researchers can improve their efforts next flu season.

The study may be mentioned by a Medcan physician to clients who present influenza symptoms during the Comprehensive Health Assessment, or during visits to the ambulatory clinic, between the first of November and the end of the flu season in the spring. Upon agreeing to participate, the Medcan client would provide a nasal swab. Privacy and confidentiality will be fully respected. Influenza symptoms include an acute onset of respiratory illness with fever and cough, and one or more of the following: sore throat, aches and pains in muscles and joints or severe malaise (prostration). Swabs are best collected within 48 hours of symptom onset, but can be collected within one week. Both vaccinated and un-vaccinated clients are eligible for the study.

Thank you to Medcan clients who are willing to participate in the Sentinel Surveillance Program. This is currently the only system in Canada to routinely measure how well the vaccine actually protects against illness caused by influenza. Medcan is participating in the study because the clinic is committed to improving preventive healthcare in the greater community. Absolutely no personal identifying information will be transmitted. Only the influenza test result and relevant epidemiologic information provided on the requisition are shared for the sole purpose of deriving an aggregate vaccine effectiveness result.

James J. Aw, MD, DOHS, CTH (TM)
Medical Director

Dr. Aw is the Medical Director of the Medcan Clinic. He oversees the physician team, clinical protocols and medical programs and is involved with strategic research and business development at Medcan. His interests are in occupational, preventive and travel medicine. He is a senior consultant for several companies in various industries including medical directorship for one of North America’s largest international financial institutions and has been involved in corporate medicine for over 10 years. Dr. Aw is a graduate of the University of Ottawa School of Medicine and diplomate in occupational health and safety from McMaster University. He has acquired post-graduate training in international health and travel medicine in the U.K. (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Uganda (U. of Makerere), Barbados (U. of West Indies) and U.S.A. He is a certificant of the core curriculum in occupational medicine from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, previously an American Board Certified Independent Medical Examiner (CIME) and certified in Travel Health by the International Society of Travel Medicine. Dr. Aw has previously been a physician peer reviewer for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Dr. Aw is a member of the National Corporate Medical Associates of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and maintains ongoing clinical observerships at Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA.