More than 13 million Britons will be offered the first doses of a vaccine against swine flu this autumn, in a dramatic move which the government says will save lives.

The initial stage of a mass immunisation campaign will see almost 11 million people in four priority groups, mostly those whose health puts them at risk from the pandemic, invited to have a course of two injections three weeks apart, probably starting in October.

More than two million health and social care workers, including GPs, hospital staff and care home personnel, will also be asked to have the jabs in a bid to help the NHS cope with the expected second big surge of the H1N1 virus.

The escalation of the fight against the pandemic will see the four most at-risk groups vaccinated in order of priority. They are people aged between six months and 65 with chronic conditions such as breathing difficulties, diabetes and heart disease, followed by pregnant women, then people living with those in the first group and finally people over 65.

Sir Liam Donaldson, the government’s chief medical officer, said that children and babies under six months old with no health problems would not be among those who would have the vaccine.

A decision about whether and how healthy adults will be offered the jabs will be made in a few months’ time, once health officials have studied how the pandemic is affecting health at that time. The immunisations are dependent on licenses being granted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is expected in late September or early October.

Source/Full Story: The Guardian

Related Items