The Hour

Nicola Sturgeon launched a swine flu vaccination programme on Wednesday 21st October to help protect high risk groups against the infection after the total number of deaths in Scotland rose to 21.

“We are inviting high risk groups to get the vaccination,” Dr Debbie Wake, The Hour’s medical expert said.

“That includes health workers who are going to be at the cold face of dealing with people with swine flu but also pregnant women and seriously ill patients in hospital.”

At the moment, it is only the high risk groups who are being encouraged to get the vaccine. As time goes on, it is hoped that the programme will be rolled out to other people at risk and possibly the general population.

Pregnant women are one such high risk group with six per cent of the people who have died from swine flu being pregnant. This is a large figure considering that only about one percent of women in the general population are pregnant.

“Because they are carrying a baby on board and the body sees that as a foreign thing, the immunity in the body has to drop down a bit to allow the women not to reject the baby,” Dr Debbie explained.

“As a result of that, they are more susceptible to swine flu.”

Research has also found that the vaccine could protect unborn babies because it is believed that the effects of swine flu can increase the risk of miscarriage and developmental problems in the baby.

However, as with every new vaccine, there is always the worry about the side effects – a worry that can increase when there is an unborn baby at potential risk.

“It is a new vaccine so everybody is a bit weary about whether it has been properly tested,” Dr Debbie acknowledged.

“It has been tested in a small group, a few hundred people before it was rolled out, and so there are some concerns with that.

“It has been produced in exactly the same way as the seasonal flu vaccine which we have been getting year in, year out.”

There are some potential mild side effects like a slight irritation at the site of infection or some mild flu symptoms however Dr Debbie believes that the symptoms from the infection outweigh any potential effects that the vaccine may bring.

“I think, certainly in pregnancy, the guideline is at the moment that the benefits of getting the vaccine seem to outweigh the risks.

“If you are in another high risk group, and there are a number of high risk groups, including people with chronic illnesses like diabetes, chest problems, heart problems and so on, then they should probably get the vaccine. The general population – we will see in a few months time.”