WEDS AM: Swine flu vaccination programme under way

Oct 21 2009 By Andrew Jackson

Around two million frontline health and social care workers will be offered the vaccine, as they are classified as at increased risk of infection and of transmitting the infection to susceptible patients.

The vaccination programme will be extended over the coming weeks.

The Department of Health said at-risk groups will be given priority in the following order: people aged over six months and under 65 years in current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups; all pregnant women; household contacts of people with compromised immune systems; and people aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups.

The Department of Health said this did not include otherwise healthy over-65s, since they appeared to have some natural immunity to the virus.

Patients will be contacted by their GPs if they fall into one of the at-risk categories, the Department said.

The GSK vaccine Pandemrix will be offered to the "vast majority", with most people needing only one dose of this vaccine for protection.

The campaign comes after Sir Liam announced last week in his weekly briefing that the number of deaths of people in the UK suffering from swine flu has passed 100.

Health Protection Agency estimates released last Thursday showed about 37,000 people have contracted the virus so far in the UK.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham, who was visiting University College Hospital in London to launch the campaign today, said: "Our best line of defence against swine flu is the vaccine.

"I’m very pleased to say that the UK is one of the first countries in the world to start vaccinating against this virus.

"The independent committee of experts in the UK has recommended that all those in the at-risk groups should be offered the swine flu vaccine.

"It is also being offered to frontline health and social care workers to protect them and their patients and ensure the NHS is staffed, should it come under pressure this winter."