THERE IS a growing sense of optimism that people may only have to get one dose of the swine flu vaccine rather than two, the State’s chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said yesterday.
The two pandemic vaccines to be used in the Republic have now been licensed and their licence states two doses of each should be given three weeks apart to guard against swine flu.
However, Dr Holohan told a press briefing in Dublin yesterday that there was “a growing sense of optimism . . . that we may get away . . . with only having to give each person one dose of the vaccine”.
He added that if this were the case, this would greatly expedite the planned national swine flu vaccination programme and make it logistically less complex.
Dr Holohan confirmed swine flu infection rates were continuing to increase, with the influenza-like illness rate in the community rising to 88 cases per 100,000 of the population in the past week, up from 76.3 per 100,000 the previous week.
A further 46 people had been admitted to hospital with swine flu in the past week, bringing the total numbers in hospital with pandemic H1N1 flu to date to 229. Thirty-four patients remain in hospital.
Four more people were admitted to intensive care as a result of swine flu in the past week, bringing to 19 those who have had to be admitted to intensive care to date. Eleven patients remain in intensive care.
Four patients in the State have died from swine flu, while 27 of the 41 general outbreaks to date have occurred in educational settings, involving nearly 1,000 students.
A boarding school in Dingle, Co Kerry, was closed due to swine flu earlier this week although it was not ordered closed by public health doctors.
Dr Holohan said he expected the State would receive between 400,000 and 500,000 doses of swine flu vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline in the next four weeks and these would be used for at-risk groups. He said, though, that the quantities of vaccine expected from Baxter would be lower than had been hoped for due to production issues.
Meanwhile, another letter is being sent by the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health to GPs, clarifying a range of issues they were concerned about in relation to the request to them last week that they vaccinate at-risk groups aged six months to 65 years.
These would include people with diabetes, chronic illness, obesity and pregnant women.
GPs are being asked in this latest letter to indicate by next Wednesday if they are willing to participate in the vaccination programme. They will receive €10 for each dose of vaccine administered and it is hoped they will begin vaccinating on October 19th.
“We believe that the vast majority of GPs wish to participate in the delivery of vaccine,” Dr Holohan said.
The HSE says market research conducted by it indicates that about 75 per cent of people are well disposed towards getting the new vaccine.
Dr Darina O’Flanagan, director of the national Health Protection Surveillance Centre, stressed the importance of getting the vaccine, which will be offered to everyone in due course. She said while swine flu was mild in most cases, for some patients it could be fatal.
Also yesterday at the autumn general meeting of the Irish Bishops Conference in Maynooth, Co Kildare, it was decided that Mass-goers could continue giving the sign of peace despite concerns over swine flu.
Congregations may also bow instead of shaking hands if they wanted, the bishops said.
Boy (12) dies from swine flu in Belfast
A 12-year-old boy has died in Belfast from swine flu, the sixth Northern Ireland person to die from the virus, writes Gerry Moriarty. He was the second child to die from swine flu this week. A child under three died on Tuesday.
The boy died in the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald in east Belfast yesterday. He had been suffering from a “serious underlying medical condition”, according to the North’s Department of Health.
“Incidents of swine flu in Northern Ireland remain high and we must expect further increases in cases in the weeks ahead,” said Health Minister Michael McGimpsey. “Swine flu remains a major public health threat but we are well prepared and have been planning for a pandemic for some time.”