UK Swine Flu Vaccination Plan

As I write, a massive vaccination plan is swinging into action for the UK. There has been a noticable media cautiousness when reporting the swine flu story in recent weeks, perhaps a responsible reaction to a perception of over hype when the epidemic was still very young.  This is ending now as daily reports of increasing fatality numbers roll in. People are understandably worried and cannot understand why schools and workplaces are not closing where the swine flu has taken victim, to help prevent the spread of the virus.  In fact, any idea of containing the outbreak has now been dropped. It’s too late, the disease cannot be contained, it has already spread widely. What would happen if we all stayed away from school and work for two weeks? – an interesting question but the emphasis now is on trying to keep serious cases to a minimum, and on vaccination.

GPs are being told to prepare for a nationwide vaccination campaign.

Dr Peter Holden, the British Medical Association’s lead negotiator on swine flu, who has been attending Department of Health meetings on the outbreak, said GPs’ surgeries were prepared for one of the biggest vaccination campaigns in almost 50 years. Although swine flu was not causing serious illness in patients, health officials were eager to start a mass vaccination campaign, starting first on priority groups. First, the jabs would reduce the chances of a shortage of hospital beds because of people suffering from swine flu. Second, it would reduce the effect on the economy by ensuring workers were protected from the virus.

“The high-risk groups will be done at GPs’ surgeries. People are still making decisions over this, but we want to get cracking before we get a second wave, which is traditionally far more virulent.”

Holden said it was likely the elderly would be given their seasonal flu jab as well as the swine flu vaccination. The new vaccine is likely to require two doses.

The swine flu vaccine will be safety tested and fast-tracked for use in Britain within just five days once it is developed.

In the week after the fictional  Torchwood – Children of Earth, was shown on TV, with a government using an emergency vaccination programme as the cover story for taking ruthless action against their own population,  people will want to know more about this vaccination programme before submitting their familes to it.

Some of the main questions will be:

• What are the aims and objectives of the vaccination programme?
• How safe is it, what are the risks?
• Will the vaccine protect against a future, more virulent strain of the A (H1N1) virus widely expected?
• If I’ve already had swine flu do I need to take the vaccine?

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Swine Flu Vaccination Plan