The province is rolling out its flu vaccination clinics for another season.

Dr. Gerry Predy, Alberta Health Service's Senior Medical Officer of Health, says after speaking to the public, they heard loud and clear what people want to hear are the facts.

He says the flu sends more Albertans to emergency departments than heart attacks and strokes together....

"Influenza put more than 1,600 Albertans in the hospital in just six months last year, influenza puts more Alberta kids in hospital than poisonings and influenza's responsible for more than half of Alberta deaths from infectious disease," Dr Predy says. "Sixty-two Albertans died of influenza last year."

He says by bring out the facts he hopes Albertans will do, as they said they would during the consultations, and get immunized for both themselves and others around them.

The program starts Monday Oct 24, and is free to everyone six months of age and older and there are hundreds of AHS clinics. Vaccinations are also available at doctor's offices and pharmacies, although children under nine have to be immunized at an AHS clinic.

Dr. Martin Lavoie, Alberta's Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health says the flu can be very dangerous for some.

"Young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions are at much higher risk of having severe influenza, including complications," Dr. Lavoie says. "Last winter we had more than 1,600 Albertans that needed to be hospitalized with influenza and 62 Albertans died."

He says there's a 50 to 70 per cent effectiveness for those who get the shot, while those who don't have zero protection.