Swine Flu Vaccination Programme for Pregnant Women and Others Coming!
Pregnant women will be among the first in the country to be vaccinated, Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson announced yesterday 13th August 2009.
Other people to be vaccinated will include the following vulnerable groups with…
- chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
- heart disease, such as congestive heart failure,
- kidney disease, such as chronic renal failure,
- liver disease, such as chronic hepatitis and liver failure,
- diabetes requiring insulin or oral medication,
- suppressed immunity, such as transplant patients and sufferers of AIDS like states.
The H1N1 flu vaccination programme will start when it is granted approval by European Regulatory Authorities in the autumn.
• In October, the vulnerable groups will be vaccinated.
• Then all pregnant women will be vaccinated, provided licensing and other issues are resolved on time as expected.
• People living with patients with suppressed immune systems and those over 65 in conventional at-risk groups will then be eligible.
• Health and social care workers will be vaccinated in order to ensure that there are enough staff to look after those who fall ill and at the same time carers are not amongst those spreading the virus to the vulnerable groups in their care.
Meanwhile, cases in England continue to fall to 25,000 new cases in England in the last week (3-9th August 09) compared with 30,000 the previous one.
There were more than 3,000 cases In Scotland and more than 1,600 in Wales. People continue to die; now totalling 49 patients across the UK.
