Swine flu vaccine not safe for under threes say Germans

Pregnant women will be among the  first in the line for the Swine Flu vaccination which starts today.

More than 11 million people in total are expected to receive the jab.

Patients who fall into an at risk category will be contacted by their GP and offered the Pandemrix vaccine, produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

The vaccination programme in Germany has already hit problems.

Dr Wolfram Hartmann, president of the German association of paediatricians voiced concerns about the recommendation of Pandemrix for use on young children.

The vaccine has not been tested on children under three years and Dr Hartmann considers its use on this age group creates risks that are too high.

The Health Secretary, Andy Burnham said:”Our best line of defence against swine flu is the vaccine. I’m very pleased to say that the UK is one of the first countries in the world to start vaccinating against this virus.

“The independent committee of experts in the UK has recommended that all those in the at risk groups should be offered the swine flu vaccine. It is also being offered to frontline health and social care workers to protect them and their patients and ensure the NHS is staffed should it come under pressure this winter.”