Extra flu jab for people most at risk

The most vulnerable people are to be offered an extra influenza vaccine to make sure they are covered against all three flu strains expected to hit this winter.


The Health Ministry will stick with the existing vaccine for the majority of the population, though it may not protect against one of the strains.


But 50,000 elderly, young and sick people will have access to an extra supply of vaccine from another manufacturer which does protect against the third strain.


Health officials have been looking for extra vaccines after discovering the vaccine which Government drug agency Pharmac had been negotiating to buy would not fully protect against one of the three strains of the virus expected this winter.

It had been seeking to buy 750,000 doses this year from French company Sanofi Pasteur.

Today it was revealed that another company, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, was able to provide Pharmac with a vaccine to cover all three flu strains, but only about 10 per cent of what was needed.

"Solvay Pharmaceuticals Australia is in a position (to provide vaccines), but not as much as they wanted," Solvay Pharmaceuticals general manager Dieter Tornheiden told National Radio today.

He would not reveal the number, but said "it might be" when asked if it was about 10 per cent of the 750,000 requested.

Mr Tornheiden said it would be difficult to provide any more vaccines as it took some time to make them.

He said the problem, which also happened in Australia, may have been avoided if Pharmac had not sought all vaccines from one company.

"We have similar problems in Australia as you can imagine. The company who can't supply at the moment is part of the tender in Australia as well."

Pharmac medical director Dr Peter Moody confirmed it had been negotiating with three suppliers other than Sanofi Pasteur, and had arranged some supply with Solvay.

"We've certainly been negotiating with them and they appear to be able to supply us with something significantly less than 100,000 at the present time," he said.

There was no way Pharmac would be able to arrange to replace all 750,000 Sanofi Pasteur vaccines and it now needed to work out how best to use the vaccines it did have.

He added: "What we are really waiting on is very much discussions between Medsafe and Sanofi Pasteur to see whether in fact this vaccine which Sanofi have made is in fact effective in certain conditions.

"If that is the case then we'll be able to use that but the first thing is to make sure that it is actually effective."

The strain which the Sanofi Pasteur vaccine is not guaranteed against hit New Zealand late in last winter's flu season, and was identified here as a separate strain.

The deputy director-general of public health, Dr Don Matheson, said some people exposed to the strain last winter, or who had had vaccinations each year for other strains, were likely to have higher levels of immunity.

He said there were concerns for elderly people in rest homes, but the most urgent worries for frail people with heart disease or respiratory disease.

"They represent the most at-risk group, along with young children," Dr Matheson said.

- NEWSTALK ZB, NZPA