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Leeds: October start for swine flu vaccinations
Vaccinations against swine flu should start next month, regional health bosses have been told.
Plans have also been drawn up to increase the number of critical care beds threefold as NHS heads prepare for a second wave of the pandemic.
Paul Johnstone, regional director of public health for NHS Yorkshire and the Humber, told the organisation's board that they were expecting a vaccine to be available in the third week of October.
"We have identified priority groups including frontline NHS staff," he said.
"We are particularly keen to get our NHS frontline staff vaccinated.
"We need to make sure the resilience of the NHS is the key thing."
Mr Johnstone said the indications were that the first wave of the pandemic had taken place with levels of swine flu now low.
He said the outbreak seemed to be following the same pattern as the 1918 flu pandemic when the same thing happened during the summer but the virus re-emerged during the following winters.
Mr Johnstone said they were also managing two issues around the National Pandemic Flu Service, which provides Tamiflu.
One was people being given the antiviral medication through the website when they didn't have swine flu and then suffering side effects.
Another issue was possible misdiagnosis though Mr Johnstone said this hadn't been a serious issue in this region.
NHS Yorkshire and the Humber directors were told that latest estimates were – in a worst case scenario – that the virus would attack 30 per cent of the population.
One per cent of patients would be hospitalised, with 0.1 per cent needing critical care.
Brian Hughes, acting director of performance and delivery, said they had worked with the region's three critical care networks to ensure the number of beds could be increased threefold if needed.
Earlier this week the Conservatives hit out at the Government's swine flu planning.
They said there was a lack of critical care beds after finding out through a Freedom of Information request that intensive care units in 80 per cent of English hospitals were under pressure before the pandemic broke out.
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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