[I'm not seeing a new number for today, other than the 460 people in intensive care]
28 Dec 2010
The decision not to vaccinate the under-fives against flu this winter risks starting the first epidemic for a decade when schools return next week.
Doctors believe that infection levels are likely to rise dramatically over the next few weeks.
Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, was yesterday accused of “serious misjudgment” for witholding the seasonal flu vaccine from children aged six months to their fifth birthday.
Labour claimed that Mr Lansley probably went against medical guidance in stopping the free flu jab.
The Department for Health said experts had considered offering the seasonal flu vaccine to pre-schoolers, including an element to stop swine flu.
However, the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) decided in the end not to recommend this.
Flu rates already are approaching epidemic status with 18 adults and nine children known to have died.
One in 10 of the 460 patients with flu being treated in intensive care is under the age of 15, including 26 under-fives.
Levels have been rising at a faster rate than before the last flu epidemic in 1999, tripling in the space of the week.
Experts fear the peak of the infection is some way off.
Children and healthy young people are disproportionately affected by swine flu because they have not built up immunity.
Last year, all parents of children aged six months to five years were offered the swine flu vaccine on the NHS.
Seventy children died, but a full scale epidemic was averted.
In January, the majority of members of the JCVI's flu sub-group said it would be “prudent” for young children to be included in this season’s flu vaccination programme, probably by giving them the swine flu (H1N1) vaccine.
However, in July the full committee, which makes the recommendations, decided against passing on that advice to ministers.
The Daily Telegraph understands that the decision was made on cost grounds, with the Government saving about £85 million as a result.
John Healey, the shadow health secretary, called on Mr Lansley to release the minutes of the last meeting of the vaccination committee.
Prof John Oxford, a virologist at the University of London, criticised the decision not to give this year’s flu vaccine – which contains the swine flu vaccine – to children under five.
The decision increased the likelihood of an epidemic because children were so effective at passing it around.
An epidemic is officially declared when the rate of people seeing their GP with flu or a flu-like illness exceeds 200 per 100,000 people in a week. The rate rose from 34.6 to 87.1 in the week before Christmas.
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