Swine Flu Vaccination
Swine flu is the name given to a new strain of flu that caused a flu pandemic in 2009-2010.
Swine flu is also referred to as H1N1 flu as it is the H1N1 strain of virus.
The H1N1 flu virus will be one of the main viruses circulating this winter, therefore the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the H1N1 flu virus will be included in the 2010-11 seasonal flu vaccine.
Vaccination
It is still recommended that people in high risk groups (listed below) continue to be vaccinated with the swine flu vaccine. This includes all pregnant women.
The seasonal flu vaccine is now available and all pregnant women (whether in high risk groups or not) are advised to take the seasonal flu jab. This is because there is good evidence that all pregnant women are at increased risk from complications if they catch swine flu. Until now, only pregnant women in high risk groups were advised to take the seasonal flu vaccine.
High risk groups
People are most vulnerable if they have:
- chronic (long-term) lung disease
- chronic heart disease
- chronic kidney disease
- chronic neurological diseases including motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease
- immunosuppression (whether caused by disease or treatment)
- diabetes mellitus
Also at risk are:
- patients who have had drug treatment for asthma in the past three years
- pregnant women
- people aged 65 and over
- children under five
