Christmas looks to be swine-quiet

With many countries and local health care authorities making adequate provisions for the festive holidays, it remains to be seen if there will be another panic that either the swine flu outbreak has mutated and broken out again, or that there will be a shortage of vaccinations in some countries, regions. It seems as though, swine flu is still on the minds of a lot of people, although in Taiwan i have noticed less people wear face masks, although its still very much on the consciousness of the Taiwanese, and you still see parents making their children wear them on the way to school and definitely there's still a lot of people wearing them on the underground.

In other countries, many governments are still advising their populace to carry out better Hygeinic practices and go to a doctor if they start to feel ill with flu like symptoms. It's also comforting to see that even poorer countries being able to stock pile vaccination shots for their most vulnerable groups.

Swine Flu - Over by Christmas?

An interesting article by Wales Online, following research in Wales and medical professionals have been quoted as saying that the peak of swine flu has fallen and we could well be on our way to see swine flu fizzle out by Christmas. However, with the winter temperatures well and truly drawing in on us, we should still remain on heightened alert as it stands to reason that the vulnerable groups are going to be susceptible to normal seasonal flus and this will weaken their immunity to the H1N1 virus. Many people are expecting the second wave of the swine flu virus to hit, as seen with previous pandemics and outbreaks. However, in wales alone in the coming the month there is expected to be over 750,000 swine flu vaccinations. So the message is clear from health professionals and the government alike, we should still remain cautious and not get complacement that the swine flu virus has been eradicated, and there could at anytime be a second wave.

Vaccinations in the UK start rolling out

A mass vaccination program has begun now in the UK, with risks groups encouraged to get the vaccinations first. As of today pregnant woman, people with asthma, people over the age of 65, diabetes sufferers and people suffering from cancer will be able to go to surgeries to get the vaccine. Also, health workers on the NHS are being encouraged to get the vaccine (many were reluctant to take the seasonal flu vaccination, so it will be interesting to see if more people take this vaccine). Since the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, nearly 400,000 worldwide have confirmed laboratory cases of the swine flu virus. More than 4,700 people have died from h1n1. Other European countries following suite include France which started last week, Germany this week, Ireland in early November and Spain in mid-November.

Swine Flu vaccinations and their availability

With the swine flu vaccinations slowly making itself available in some countries, the availability or lack of availability should I see in some states in the US and countries in Europe has proved somewhat frustrating especially to those considered as vulnerable to the h1n1 virus. However, local authorities do show signs of getting their act together and slowly but surely the vaccination has made its way to many states and countries in the US and UK. However, for the rest of the world, it seems it's very dependent on the respective government and their health budget and how many supplies they've ordered. Of course, some countries have been largely unaffected by the pandemic and so only emergency vaccinations may be on hand. However, most governments have realized this far that its essential to give young mothers, children and the elderly the vaccinations first and for people with swine flu like symptoms to be administered to hospital as soon as possible. Some concerns are still ever present about the rushed nature of this vaccination and its release onto the global market, the Times reported in June that the Europeans Medicine Agency stated that: "The vaccines are authorised with a detailed risk management plan”.

How about where you are, is there ready access to the vaccines? Are these vaccinations free under your health care system, or do you have to pay for them?

US orders 250 million doses of swine flu vaccine

With many hospitals in the U.S. piling up on swine flu vaccinations, still many are concerned about the potential side-effects and if the vaccination is really necessary. The swine flu vaccination, actually doesn't differ too much from the current seasonal flu vaccination readily available, many doctors have stated it's just a slight variation of it and therefore it's just as tested as other vaccinations that have come onto the market. The pandemic has shown that people most at risk of contracting the virus are the elderly and children, however it's precisely these two groups that are hesitant to take the vaccine as they fear that there will be adverse side-effects from it and/or it will make them worse. But I think, as people slowly come round to the idea that this vaccination is ultimately safer than not having the vaccination hopefully it will have a viral effect and people will realize prevention is always better than cure.