The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7411 p134-136
29 July 2006

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Vaccine administration in pharmacies — a Scottish success story

Caroline Hind and George Downie describe three years' experience of providing influenza immunisation from community pharmacies in Grampian

SUMMARY

Influenza affects people of all ages and the prevalence of infection increases over a six- to eight-week period over the winter. For most people, the illness is unpleasant but self-limiting. However, for a number of “at risk” groups, such as people with asthma and the elderly, it may be serious and can kill. It can also put pressure on health and other services. Influenza immunisation is an effective way to prevent or ameliorate flu, and it reduces complications. It also reduces hospital admissions as a result of flu by as much as 60 per cent and morbidity by 40 per cent.

Recent NHS policies have targeted those groups who are most likely to suffer such complications or to die from the infection.3 Significantly, the likelihood of a flu pandemic is becoming increasingly probable although the timing, extent and severity remain uncertain. However, enough is known from previous pandemics to indicate the likely range of impact.

A future pandemic is likely to spread rapidly to all parts of the globe and cause sudden and sharp increases in illness over a matter of weeks. A pandemic has the potential to overwhelm health and other services rapidly. Contingency plans are being made in which a tiered approach to immunisation is proposed, immunising sections of the population in stages according to the availability of vaccine. One of the challenges in responding to a pandemic will be to develop a safe, immunogenic vaccine that protects against the pandemic strain of virus and then immunising large numbers of individuals who may be key workers or in “at-risk” groups. Within this context additional opportunities for providing immunisation will be essential.

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