Swine flu vaccinations were needed for pregnant women and the under fives finds new research

The government’s policy of swine flu vaccinations for pregnant women and the under fives have been backed up by new medical research

More than half of the UK swine flu hospital admissions and deaths involved people with no underlying health problems concludes research published in Thorax today.

Additional findings suggest that people with asthma may also benefit from having the vaccination.

Data from more than 55 hospitals in 20 areas was analysed during the May to September 2009 part of the pandemic.

During this time, 631 people with swine flu were admitted to the hosptials with ages ranging from three months to 90 years.

The study found that 27 patients were admitted to hospital whilst pregnant, meaning that pregnancy itself made women three times as likely to require a hospital admissions than those women who were not pregnant.