Via The Star: Beware! Swine flu on its way back. Excerpt:
Swine flu is expected to hit Christchurch well before winter, and medical authorities are looking to vaccinate health workers from next week.
The second wave of the highly infections H1N1 virus is expected here by April, following an early strike of the virus in the northern hemisphere.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Alistair Humphrey said medical workers were being encouraged to get the single strain vaccine for the virus now so the public health service would continue to operate when the virus hit.
A second vaccine that will cover the swine flu virus and two seasonal flu strains would arrive in early March. This would go to “at risk” groups first - pregnant women, vulnerable children in low decile or Maori or Pacific communities, and people with certain medical conditions.
The bulk of the second vaccine would be made available to the general public in late March or early April. Historically, the second wave of a flu virus can be worse. Dr Humphrey said tests were currently being conducted on this, but they did not yet know if the virus would be worse this year.
He said in the United States, it was more severe in areas unaffected during the first wave.
“We have got to get the vaccine out quickly to those who need it most,” he said.
“Last year all we had was Tamiflu … If everyone gets vaccinated (this year) nothing will happen.”
I love the expression “low decile communities.” Demographers divide populations into deciles, or tenths, based on income. So a low decile community must mean “poor people.”
