Flu vaccine for every Islander
Friday 8th May 2009, 3:00PM BST.
Medical Officer of Health Dr Rosemary Geller
THE Health Department are hoping to vaccinate the entire Island population against swine flu.
They have secured an agreement to get the first batch of vaccine that is made and are currently training 200 nurses on how to administer it. It is likely to be delivered in the Island in the autumn.
Under the plans announced yesterday, Islanders will be invited to receive two doses of the injection at parish halls. It will not be compulsory.
There are currently no confirmed cases of swine flu in the Island, but the Medical Officer of Health, Dr Rosemary Geller, said that the situation must still be taken extremely seriously. ‘Once the new virus reaches Jersey it is essential that we do all we can to reduce the risk of infection,’ she said.
Information leaflets about swine flu will be posted to every household this week and are also being translated into Polish and Portuguese to be distributed in public buildings and community groups.
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to quote “they’ve secured an agreement to get the first batch of vaccine”…… Great, so we’re the guinea pigs!!
It’s a nice idea, but with a mutation of the initial virus confirmed in Canada in recent days, where exactly will we find ourselves?!
Bagsy, not getting my injection first!
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that’s funny because in the leaflet I got today it advised me that there is no vaccination against swine flu yet…?
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Place your bets on whether these 2 separate vaccinations AND the flu vaccine (still needed)will be provided with free doctors’ appointments. Asking people to pay £30+ each time won’t be a good way to encourage takeup and herd immunity.
NB. No, the standard flu vaccine isn’t free even for those with long-term illnesses or OAPs even though it saves hospital admissions.
No doubt it’ll be the usual “everyone who needs help is on Income Support”. No, they’re not and £90+ is a lot of money whatever your employment.
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2012 and a structural budget deficit of £50 – 60 million is going to come as a dreadful shock to everyone who works for the States.
There will have to be a large hike in taxation or real cuts and prioritisation of expenditure.
It will mean the end of pet projects and chucking money at every problem that comes along.
The sane thing to do would have been to order enough vaccine for the vulnerable and let the healthy take their chances if they wished to do so.
Swine flu does not appear to be that infectious and the mortality rate among healthy well fed Westerners seems to be very low.
It should also be borne in mind that the vaccine may be totally useless by the time the virus has mutated a few times or it is possible that like SARS and bird flu a full scale pandemic will never arise.
But hey ho there is a very lucky pharmaceutical company out there that is going to receive a really fat cheque from the States Treasury!
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When is a crisis not a crisis? It is no crisis if you are prepared.
Congratulations to Dr Geller for a job well done.
Sorry Lula, read again. ‘They have secured an agreement to get the first batch of vaccine that is made’. No vaccine yet, but we will have it as soon as one is available.
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Not sure if this is a good idea, what happens if a different strain of flu appears , also what is going to be pumped into our bodies, maybe the MOH has her jab first to prove no long term harm can be caused by having this jab.
And i find it quite strange we seem to be first to try this vaccine, perhaps the batch is going out of date?
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It is remarkable that the statement is made to the effect that the vaccine “will not be compulsory”.
This should go without saying.
There is, fortunately, no means by which medical treatment can be forced upon the population in general. Thank goodness. Having said that, in these days of questionable civil liberties, one wonders what might happen next!
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no thanks,i will take a raincheck on this one.the way the health people talk one would be forgiven to think they hope the flu does arrive they are so enthusiatic about it
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Not entirely convinced by the MOH’s statement that 3% of swine flu sufferers have died.Of the two deaths in the USA,both already had serious illnesses unconnected with swine flu.
No vaccine is without risk and if the population of Jersey are the chosen guinea pigs for the first batch, I won’t be first in the queue.
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This vacination will be a waste of time in my opinion. Flu strains tend to change with the passage of time in weeks and months rather than years!
J the doctors could be very well out of this couldn’t they?
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Hysterical nonsense – a bonanza for the pharmaceutical industry and their stooges in the World Health Organisation. Every time there is a scare they make a killing. This time they have been caught out.
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One vaccine for every islander. And how many islanders would that be. No one seems to know. SNAFU!
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so we secured a batch….at what price? probs paid thousands for it and we will have to cough it up!! swine flu jab? no thanks.
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Where does it say we have to pay doctors for it. If you read it they are training 200 nurses on how to administer the jab and it will be given in parish halls!!!!!
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Flu vaccine for every Islander… And how many people would that be???. As no one seems to know what the population is.
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Don’t waste money buying vacination for me…
I won’t be having one thank-you.
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#bartalo(11)i agree both of these 2 you mention are now calling the shots the world over.getting governments to listen to their hype same govs don,t seem to realise how money is their god and stock up with drugs and vaccines without question,even though many of said can be dangerous.
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Like Clown Advocate I love the statement that the vaccine “will not be compulsory” – they would have to tie me down kicking and screaming to administer a compulsary injection of a just out of the lab vaccination.
My guess is that they are doing this to allay concerns – I think they are more likely to shoot themselves in the foot on this & waste huge amounts of money.
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Clever Dr Geller.
Spend a fortune on importing unproven flu vacine.
What is the point ?
Jersey has been importing cigarettes for years that have caused thousands of cancer related deaths, at no charge to the tax payer.
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Praise to Dr Geller,
This is a very difficult job. Do you do your best by the public and get what ever facilities we need before the problem occurs. Or do we wait to see what happens and find out that we can not get the facilities in the time that we need them.
I hope from all this that the politicians in Jersey will realise the hard work and dedication that the health staff put into this and the other emergency services. these are underpaid and over utalised staff who are doing a great job.
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I see that the Island is too purchase enough of this Swine flu vaccine for every Islander.
I seem to recall two or three years ago that we were all going to be doomed because of Bird Flu, now whatever happened to that I wonder, the human race still seems to be alive and kicking!.
Every year in the UK alone during the winter months numerous people die from the symptoms of flu and in far greater numbers then those being banded about today for Swine flu. However this does not seem to get the same media attention.
Is this a case of the media hyping things up as usual as in the case of Bird Flu, time will tell.
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My confidence in any States Department is rock bottom. They’ll probably end up injecting the whole island with a laxative
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no thanks, a mate of mine had a flu jab years ago.
he was basicaly forced to, if he didnt have it he would not have been paid if off sick.
he maintains that he was never ill before, but now gets ill.
i for one do not want this.
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what a waste of money
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In the US there are 108,000 deaths each year from hospital drug reactions.
350,000 deaths each year from prescription drugs in nursing homes
61,000 cases of Parkinson’s each year directly attributed to prescription drugs
10,000 deaths each year from standard medical testing
30,000 deaths each year from over-the-counter drugs such as Advil
68,000 child deaths each year due to vaccination
There were 200 cases of Swine flu world-wide, with one death in the US. And that’s a pandemic that needs a vaccine??
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#25 Yes and they keep wanting us to take more and more of these dangerous drugs.always look on the money trail to get the answer.
always ask questions from your doctor about the adverse side-effects of drugs.
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H&SS can find £600K to buy an unproven and largely unwanted vaccine for the whole population but cannot find enough money to save Brig a Don or provide appropriate care for the disabled people in the Island.
It’s time to get our priorities right and get rid of the UK expats who are running the department and awarding themselves inflated salaries. The department has been failing the Island for many years and it is about time some Civil Servants were made accoountable for the mess they have put us in.
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Perhaps I could claim my injection for my pet pig!
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Interesting article from John Stone in tonights JEP.
We have overeacted again and spent a lot of money without proper consultation.
Why on earth did we not wait before committing to such a vast spend. Only a small percentage would have the vacine anyway!!
Another unbudgeted spend.
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Seniorcraig… no it really isn’t!
It could become such a pandemic but it isn’t just now. Unfortunately there are cost benefits to buying in sooner rather than later. That may be why they took that decision.
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Autism, for example, is already an epidemic far greater than the trumped up threat of bird or swine flu.And yet research is stifled and scientists vilified, when they dare to look at possible environmental reasons for the vast non genetic increase. You can’t catch autism from a sneeze,although its increase might be linked to a certain government licensed vaccine, so the pharmaceutical industry and our allied medical officer of health aren’t interested, as there is more profit and personal kudos in whipping up hysteria in hypothetical claims of impending epidemics of measles,avian and now swine flu.The tragedy is that promised urgent funds for social care and specialist psychologist care for those with autism and allied conditions, have been reneged in favour of the huge investment of degradable stocks of Tamiflu, and a two dose swine vaccine, which hasn’t even been invented yet.
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A jobs worth doing her job and following the rule book to the letter. We have now spent the money that has been set aside to combat a real killer flu. As soon as this has blown over our underfunded health service will be asking for many more millions of our tax, sighting the impending danger and threatening politicians with the deaths of thousands if they don’t hand the funds over.
And yet we complain that we don’t get a vote for the Bailiff or Dean!!
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bella (17)
“these 2 you mention are now calling the shots the world over.”
Calling the shots? Pun intended?
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#lol carl I did,nt even notice,all done innocently.
good for you spotting the unintended pun
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I wish we had the other Dr Gellar. At least he could bend spoons.
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If I’m not mistaken, the pharmaceutical company is Swiss (Roche). I hope that any agreement to purchase these so called vaccines has a fixed exchange rate! Anyone know someone who could advise the Treasury Department?
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