Two-step plan for flu vaccines

Sick and elderly people will get their flu vaccinations just weeks before the onset of the flu season.

The Ministry of Health announced yesterday that its vaccination programme will begin next month and officials say they are confident the campaign will be well ahead of the expected flu peak in mid-July.

GPs support the programme, which has been delayed by four to six weeks, but may have to put in extra hours to ensure all those who want the vaccination get it.

The programme was delayed after a problem was found with the effectiveness of the vaccine produced by French company sanofi pasteur. While it protected against two of the three strains of flu expected in New Zealand this winter it did not provide the same level of protection against the Wellington strain.

Health officials scrambled to find alternative supplies and by the end of last week had sourced 518,000 doses of full-strength vaccine - enough to cover the 400,000 people who qualify for state-paid vaccinations.

Yesterday ministry officials said the understrength vaccine would provide sufficient protection for healthy adults.

Dr Stewart Jessamine, principal medical adviser for Medsafe, said a literature review showed the sanofi pasteur vaccine, which contains 10 micrograms of antigen against the Wellington strain rather than 15 micrograms, would be effective among the healthy population.

"The literature is fairly solid. For young healthy people who are not immune compromised, one dose of Vaxigrip, containing that 10 microgram strain, will produce similar levels of protection as a 15 microgram dose of any of the other vaccines."

Dr Jessamine said that meant double dosing, considered as an option, would not be necessary.

Sanofi pasteur was conducting a clinical trial in Australia to demonstrate the vaccine performed as it was expected to.

Dr Don Matheson, Deputy Director-General of Public Health, said that from April 18, GPs would be able to offer one dose of Vaxigrip to healthy people under 65.

The programme would be rolled out to those eligible for free vaccination from April 26 - when full-strength vaccines were available in New Zealand. Elderly people with heart and lung conditions and children who were immune-compromised would be among the first to be vaccinated.

The vaccine took 7 to 10 days to offer protection and the flu season was not expected to peak until mid-July.

Dr Peter Foley, chairman of the GP Council of the New Zealand Medical Association, said it would be a stretch for GPs to get the vaccinations done, particularly as many were also completing the meningococcal vaccine programme but it was "do-able".

He expected GPs would be inundated with patients from April 18.

"The difficulty will be between the 18th and 26th, when we will be trying to tell the people who really need it - those with chronic illnesses and the elderly - that they should wait another week until we have the better vaccine."

Dr Matheson said the ministry would be monitoring flu data and if the peak in flu occurred earlier than usual it would reconsider its plan.

The Government is still considering whether to make the vaccine free for healthy adults. A decision is expected within a week.

Last year only 54 per cent of people over 65 and 33 per cent of at-risk people under 65 were vaccinated.

The ministry hoped that figure would increase this year.

The programme

* From April 18, healthy adults under 65 can receive one dose of Vaxigrip (the sanofi pasteur vaccine).

* From April 26, full-strength vaccines will be available for those eligible for free vaccinations, for example people over 65 and those with chronic heart or lung conditions.