BRITAIN'S flu death toll has hit 50 with 11 new fatalities last week, health chi

January 7, 2011

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BRITAIN'S flu death toll has hit 50 with 11 new fatalities last week, health

chiefs said last night.

The victims - 45 of them from swine flu - included healthy new mum Applin,

32.

As people rushed for jabs yesterday with stocks running low, the Government

decided to bring in old vaccines from the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

Last night officials were quick to stress that the old vaccine called Pandemrix

was safe to use.

They will send 12.7 million doses to surgeries.

Prime Minister Cameron said it was " slightly different " to the current

vaccine but that experts had assured him it still offered vital protection.

The news came as it was revealed Britain's flu death toll has hit 50 - 45 from

swine flu - with 11 new deaths last week alone.

Fatalities

The latest fatalities, who had no underlying health problems, included a new mum

in Suffolk and a Gulf War veteran in Warwickshire.

Jab supplies in the North West, North East and Home Counties in particular are

running low.

Last night the decision to use old vaccine came in for criticism and the

Government was slammed for bad advance planning.

Critics pointed out that the 2009 vaccine only immunises against swine flu and

not this year's two other strains, influenza B and the less-common influenza A

H3N2. The newer vaccine covers all three.

Shadow Health Secretary Healey said: " I fear we're not over the worst of it

because most of Britain has only returned to work or school this week. This

Government has been slow to act at every stage. "

Geoff , chairman of the anti-cuts campaign group Health Emergency, said:

" There's a real danger that people will think they are protected when they are

not and that's down to the fact the Government has got this completely wrong. "

Mr Cameron had said earlier: " There's a national stock of flu vaccine from the

flu pandemic of 2009 and while it is slightly different it does have some of the

common characteristics. "

It also emerged last night the number of people in intensive care beds with flu

had dropped from 851 earlier in the week to 783.

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