Health Minister Nicola Roxon, advised the Government would be receiving 2 million doses of swine flu vaccine by the end of this week, with the first vaccinations likely to occur in September.

The health minister stressed that the timetable for vaccination will depend on the safety and efficacy results of human trials which were expected in the coming weeks. Initial data suggests the vaccine is as safe as that for regular seasonal flu.

There have been media reports that expressing concern regarding the safety of vaccines for pandemic influenza. The WHO, in a briefing on the 6th of August, stressed that the public needed to be reassured that there are “regulatory procedures in place for the licensing of pandemic vaccines, including protocols for expediting regulatory approval”. This briefing can be found at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_safety_vaccines_20090805/en/index.html

It is important to be aware that pandemic vaccines are not regarded as ‘new’ vaccines, as they “build on the technology used to produce vaccines for seasonal influenza”. Influenza vaccines have been used for 60 years and have an established record for safety in all age groups.

Manufacturer CSL’s spokeswoman Rachel David said the vaccine was almost identical to its seasonal flu formulation, and trials had revealed no unanticipated side effects. The most common side effects for seasonal influenza vaccinations include:
Adverse local Reactions –
The risk of any adverse reaction is very low. Side effects may include the following:
• Soreness, redness, irritation, tenderness at the injection site.
• Mild fever lasting a short time.
• General feeling of being unwell, muscle and joint pain.
• More serious reactions are very rare (1 in 100,000)

People who should NOT be vaccinated include:
• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs,
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination,
• People who have developed Guillian-Barré syndrome within 6 weeks of getting an    influenza vaccine,
• Children less than 6 months of age (influenza vaccine is not approved for this age group), and
• People who have a moderate to severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated).

For further information, please call Travelvax Australia’s Travel information line on 1300 360 164, Mon-Fri 9-5 EST.