Priority list for swine flu jab

Friday 14th August 2009

Diabetes, asthma and heart disease sufferers and then pregnant women will be first in line to receive the swine flu vaccination, the government has announced.

A priority list of more than 13 million has been established to determine when people receive the swine flu vaccination. Those between the age of six months to 65 with diabetes, heart disease, asthma, renal disease or with a compromised immune system are at the front of the queue for the jab expected to be available in October.

Pregnant women are deemed to be the next most urgent group, depending on licensing agreements as to which is the most suitable trimester for them to be vaccinated in. People living with patients with a compromised immune system and then anyone over 65 in an at-risk group will be the next in line to receive the vaccination.

Frontline health and social care workers will get the jab at the same time as the at-risk groups, but healthy people of any age will not be vaccinated yet. Around 2.1 million frontline health and social care workers will be vaccinated.

"We are looking at the prospect of extending the vaccine to healthy groups and the timing of that," said Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson.

Copyright © Press Association 2009

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