 November 27 2009 Low public take-up of vaccine signals swine flu scepticism By Andrew Jack
 Vaccines Basil (Professor David Salisbury, UK Government Vaccines Director) desperately pleads for bribed doctors to inject 90 million doses of deadly H1N1 vaccine into Britons (Caption & Pic Courtesy Of One Click)
Just 1m of the 10m doses of the swine flu vaccine distributed to immunise the general public have so far been used, indicating slow progress in fighting the current pandemic.
David Salisbury, director of immunisation at the Department of Health, said yesterday he remained "hopeful" that more than 11m people judged at high risk would be vaccinated "well before Christmas".
The low uptake appears to confirm opinion polls suggesting considerable scepticism about the benefits of vaccination, with the H1N1 flu virus less severe for most people than originally feared and an intense debate on the potential side- effects of vaccination.
The figures may stoke debate on the amount paid by the government for measures to counter the pandemic, including total orders of 90m doses of vaccine. Revised planning assumptions have cut the likely number of deaths caused by the virus to 1,000, from as high as 65,000 mooted in July. So far 242 have died across the UK, with infections only slightly higher this week at 46,000.
But Mr Salisbury said it was too early to draw conclusions, with many vaccines delivered only very recently to doctors.
Ian Dalton, national director of NHS flu resilience, who is co-ordinating the health service response to the pandemic, gave much higher estimates for take-up of the vaccine among the 2m frontline health and social care workers, although he said his information was anecdotal.
He said York hospital had vaccinated more than 1,000 staff and Guy's & St Thomas's in London had used 1,500 doses.
Sir Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer, cautioned that the virus was a greater threat to children than normal seasonal flu and could mutate into a more serious form, for which the vaccine could provide -protection.
************* Related Links: * Deadly GlaxoSmithKline H1N1 Vaccine Disaster Toll Rises Helen Branswell, Medical Reporter, Canadian Press * Deadly GSK H1N1 Vaccine Cancelled - UK Children Sail Through Swine Flu Without Even Knowing They Have It Daily Mail Reporter, Daily Mail / The One Click Group * UK Drugs Dealer Supremo Squanders £1billion Plus On Swine Flu Jeremy Laurance, The Independent / The One Click Group * UK Doctors Take Bribes To Push Swine Flu Vaccine On Patients Lilian Anekwe, PULSE / The One Click Group * Doctors, Healthcare Workers And Patients Refusing Swine Flu Vaccine In Britain Nigel Praities, PULSE *************
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