Government Takes Steps To Begin Flu Vaccination

Agreements have been signed between the UK government and vaccine manufactures to secure supplies of up to 90 million doses of pre-pandemic H1N1 vaccine, the Department of Health has announced today.

The deals signed between Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, GlaxoSmithKilne (GSK), and Baxter, will enable production of pre-pandemic vaccine to begin as soon as possible.

The agreements could provide enough vaccine to protect the most vulnerable in the UK population before a pandemic is likely to arrive, without affecting the supply of seasonable flu vaccine.

"The localised cases of swine flu found in the UK have so far been mild, and our strategy of containing the spread with antivirals appears to gave been effective in reducing the symptoms and preventing the further spread of infection,” Mr Johnson said.

"We have Advance Purchase Agreements to provide vaccine for the entire UK population which will take effect when Phase 6 pandemic is declared. It will then take over a year for all the vaccine necessary to be provided.

"These additional arrangements provide the opportunity by December this year to have enough pre-pandemic vaccine to protect at least hal of the population from swine flu. This will however depend on when and if the manufacturers switched from seasonal to H1N1 pandemic specific vaccine production at the time after Phase 6 is declared by the World Health Organisation, as this will take precedence over pre-pandemic contracts."

If a pandemic is declared, Advance Supply Agreements signed by the government with GSK and Baxter in July 2007, will enable the UK to purchase up to 132 million doses of pandemic specific vaccine, when it becomes available.

Seven new cases of swine flu have been confirmed today, taking the total to 85, the Department of Health confirmed.

Four schoolchildren in London and three people in the Greenock area of Scotland are suffering from the virus.

(JM/BMcC)