UK: All schoolchildren may be vaccinated against swine flu

November 5, 2009

All schoolchildren may be vaccinated against swine flu

Owen

Bowcott Guardian.co.

UK, Thursday 5

November 2009 20.30 GMT

Swine flu vaccine: All schoolchildren may get vaccinated as government

considers extending vaccination programme. Photograph:

Amis/AP

All healthy schoolchildren may be vaccinated against

swine flu, the Department of Health revealed today, as it

issued guidance on how to help pregnant women who catch the

infection.

Confirmation that the government is considering extending the vaccination

programme came as the Conservatives called for all pupils to be immunised

against the H1N1 virus.

Cases of the disease in England increased only marginally this week to

84,000, according to official estimates. The latest figures show 154

people have died from swine

flu – 105 in England, eight in Wales, 31

in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland. Seventeen people have died in the

UK in the past week.

The chief medical officer, Sir Liam son, confirmed the government's

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is examining whether to

extend the vaccination programme.

Healthy children are not among the priority groups in the first round of

vaccinations. " We would hope to take a decision on [inoculating

them] in the next few weeks, " he said. " We are looking very

hard at the next steps. We will have to work out whether any groups in

the healthy population will have to be prioritised. "

The Tory health spokesman, Lansley, proposed a universal

schools vaccination programme. " For

weeks now, behind the scenes, " he said, " I have urged the

government to go further: they should extend the vaccination programme to

schoolchildren and college students.

" Last week in America I met swine flu experts at the Health and

Human Services Department. Their data shows the incidence and severity of

swine flu is significantly greater in the under-24 age group, compared to

the rest of the healthy population. They have called all young people for

vaccination, including a school-located vaccination programme. I think we

should follow their lead. "

The Department of Health said the US had so far left it up to individual

states to determine what they believed were the priority groups deserving

protection.

Its new advice to help doctors recognise serious symptoms in pregnant

women has been released, suggesting those with high heart rates or

shortness of breath when first infected are most at risk of serious

illness or death.

The guidance notes that: " Pregnant women have been noted to have a

four times higher risk of being hospitalised for complications compared

to the non-pregnant population. "

The new guidance also notes that: " The mortality rate for all

hospitalised adults is approximately 6% " – a stark figure suggesting

that a significant proportion of those admitted for treatment will

die.

A Department of Health spokesman added: " The chief medical officer

has already announced that the vaccine programme will be extended – we

will announce details shortly. "

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian

Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

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November 5, 2009