Vaccination available in the UK from October

The NHS has announced that there will be a vaccination against swine flu given to people in October. The Government has ordered enough for the entire population. However, only those most suscetible and vulnerable will have the vaccination adminstered at first, and also people in direct contact with those suscetible to the virus such as health care professionals. Andy Burnham, health secratry for the UK, has said that the vaccination will be administered at first to the following at-risk groups:

• People aged over 65, in the clinically at-risk seasonal flu groups.
• People aged between 6 months and 65 in the clinically at-risk groups from seasonal flu.
• Pregnant women, but the adminstration of the vaccine is subject to licensing by the European Medicines Agency.
• People who come into contact with others with a weakened immune system, namely if the contact is a household contact.

If you're wondering how at risk we still are from the virus, the following confirms that the number of cases has fallen from 2 weeks ago, but we are still at threat as the information below also shows:

• There has a been a reduction in the number of cases in the UK in the last two weeks. There have been 25,000 new cases in the last week, this has fallen from 110,000 new cases two weeks previously.
• There are 371 patients in hospital with the swine flu virus, 39 of them are in critical care.
• The number of consultations to GPs has also fallen in the past week.
• There have been 44 confirmed deaths in England, and now the total stands at 49.
• Still there are no signs of the mutating into a more deadly form.

Source: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/04April/Pages/Swineflulatest.aspx

So does this mean, that we are safe from the pandemic. Is it time to go back to our normal daily lives? I would say we shouldn't be complacement and still keep to what we've been doing, although the number of cases in the UK has fallen there are still new cases of swine flu everyday and until we have a safe, effective vaccination we should not let our guards down. What do you think? Please post your comments and opinions.