Update on 2004 flu campaign
Children who spent time in hospital last winter because of a respiratory infection are to be included for the first time in this year’s influenza immunisation programme. Health care workers are also being targeted for the second year running in the campaign that will be officially launched on 4 October.
All people who are in the at risk categories, which include those with
asthma, diabetes and ischaemic heart disease are also to be targeted
again.
Director of the Royal College of General Practitioner’s research
unit in Birmingham that tracks flu outbreaks in the UK throughout the
year, Douglas Fleming, was unable to predict whether there would be a
flu epidemic in the UK this winter. He said the incidence of reports
of flu like illness was around normal for this time of year.
The World Health Organization recommended vaccine for the northern hemisphere,
including the UK, for the 2004–05 flu season should target three
viruses, two of which are new compared with the strains which were targeted
by last winter’s vaccine.
This winter’s flu-like strains are: A/New Caledonia/20/99(H1N1),
A/Fujian/411/2002(H3N2) and B/Shanghai/361/2002.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said it was up to those people who
organise vaccination programmes to decide when to immunise patients but
it was expected the work would start next month. |
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