Panel Recommends Who Gets Swine Flu Shots

Children, pregnant women get first jab of swine flu vaccine

Don’t be deceived. Even though swine flu is no longer page one news doesn’t mean the threat is over. In fact, health experts believe the world is just in the early stages of this pandemic, and numbers of infections are expected to rise once children go back to school in September. And that’s why government agencies and pharmaceuticals are scrambling to produce vaccines against the H1N1 virus in time for fall.

Based on information about how swine flu behaves, the Advisory Commission on Immunization Practices recommended the following should be the first in line for swine flu shots this fall:

• pregnant women
• children ages 6 years and older
• health care workers
• young adults

And the number of people in this group are roughly 160 million. These are the same group that get recommendations for season flu shots, except for young adults. Most of the deaths from swine flu are below 30 and the most severe cases have been among young adults. So the panel also recommends that this group should get the vaccine IF there is ample supply. Next in line would be the elderly.

If there is not enough vaccine, then pregnant women and young children get priority, including everyone in the household who cares for those children.

via: AP; Image: Newscom