Vaccinations soon to be offered to priority groups

Published by Emma Hemmings for HCL Marketing Communications in Health and also in Communities

South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) in partnership with local GPs will soon commence the Swine Flu vaccination programme for people at higher risk of severe illness or at increased risk of infection and transmitting infection.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced in August the priority groups for vaccination against Swine Flu following advice from independent scientific expert committees.

The priority groups in order are:
• Individuals aged six months and up to 65 years in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups
• All pregnant women, subject to licensing considerations on trimesters
• People in regular contact with immunocompromised
• People aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risks groups.

Frontline health and social care workers will be offered the vaccine at the same time as the first clinical risk group.

Patients registered with GPs across the South Staffordshire PCT area (including Burton upon Trent, Lichfield, Tamworth, Kinver, Wombourne, Stafford and Cannock) will receive letters in the next few weeks from either the PCT or from their GP inviting them to receive their vaccination.

John Wicks, Flu Director, South Staffordshire PCT said: “Swine Flu is generally mild for healthy people, but for pregnant women and those with health problems it can be more serious.

“The vaccine has had to pass stringent tests before being granted a licence by the European Medicines Agency and this means that we are very confident that the new vaccine is low risk.

“Just as soon as we receive supplies of the vaccine in South Staffordshire we will write directly to people within the key groups, prioritising the most vulnerable first, letting them know how and where they can receive their vaccination.

Experts have advised on the most vulnerable groups and completed thorough risk benefit analyses. The virus has so far disproportionately affected people in the at-risk groups outlined. Therefore our advice is that these groups would clearly benefit from this vaccine at an early opportunity.

Whilst children are also disproportionately affected by Swine Flu, the vast majority make a full recovery. As such, the experts do not advise that children other than those in at-risk groups, should be vaccinated initially.