Vulnerable groups first in line for UK swine flu jabs
pharmafile | August 14, 2009 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |Â Â NHS, h1n1Â
The first 11 million people to receive jabs against the H1N1 virus have been announced by the government, ready for the start of the immunisation programme this autumn.
Priority will be given to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, frontline health and social care workers, according to the Department of Health.
Health Secretary Andy Burnham said the UK would be one of the first countries in the world to receive a vaccine supply, thanks to contracts put in place by the government in advance of the pandemic.
He added: "Although the virus has so far proved to be mild in most people, for others it has been more serious. By vaccinating high-risk groups first, we aim to protect those most vulnerable to this virus.
"Our decisions at all times are based on advice from the most eminent specialists, and this will continue to be the case as we go forward."
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised UK ministers on the selected priority groups, and the Department says it is now working with the BMA and NHS organisations to reach a comprehensive swine flu vaccine implementation plan for the first stage of the programme.
Once European approval for the vaccines has been sought, the groups to be immunised are to be prioritised in the following order (numbers are approximate and for England only):
* People aged over six months and under 65 years in current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups (about 5 million people)
* All pregnant women, subject to licensing conditions on trimesters (about 0.5 million people)
* Household contacts of people with compromised immune systems e.g. people in regular close contact with patients on treatment for cancer (about 0.5 million people)
* People aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups (about 3.5 million people). This does not include otherwise healthy over 65s, since they appear to have some natural immunity to the virus.
The vaccination of approximately two million frontline health and social care workers – those at increased risk of infection – will begin in at the same time as the first at-risk group, and continue for as long as necessary.
GSK and Baxter to deliver doses
Reports say a total of 300,000 vaccine doses will be delivered this month by GSK and Baxter, the two manufacturers contracted by the government, and this will be ramped up dramatically in the coming months.
The government says it has contracts in place for 132 million doses of the jab overall, which is enough for the whole population, as people will need two shots each.
The government said decisions on vaccinating the wider healthy population would depend on the evolution of the pandemic as well as new and emerging clinical data on the use of the vaccine.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will consider the next groups to be vaccinated and report back to the government.
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