Northern Ireland Health News

Information and guidance on pandemic flu planning and preparedness on this website is currently under review and will be revised in the coming months to reflect the lessons learned from the overview of the NI health response to swine flu, and also the wider review of the UK swine flu response.

Swine Flu and the coming winter

The Department will continue to encourage people over the age of 6 months in clinical "at risk" groups identified during the swine flu pandemic to receive the swine flu/ H1N1 vaccine during the coming spring and summer. This includes people aged 65 and over and in a clinical risk group (but not healthy people aged 65 and over), pregnant women, household contacts of immunocompromised individuals and front line health and social care workers.

These people are at particular risk if they become infected with the virus or, in the case of front line health and social care workers, may expose "at risk" patients to infection.

Vaccination of these groups will provide protection against the possible early re-emergence of swine flu H1N1 later this year. Vaccination offers the best protection for those at risk of complications from influenza.

Those who have already been vaccinated are likely to remain protected for the coming winter and possibly longer. The vaccine may also provide protection should a "drift" in the genetic make-up of the virus occur and the disease becomes more severe.

The protection afforded by the vaccine will stand us in good stead for the coming winter when the swine flu virus is expected to be the main circulating flu virus.

For full story CLICK HERE