More clinics set up for swine flu vaccine demand

DEMAND for the swine flu virus vaccine is so high that extra clinics for people in high-risk groups are being arranged.

Health chiefs say the places are filling up fast as hundreds of patients across Swansea are flocking to make sure they are protected against the virus.

Since the start of the outbreak 14 people in Wales have died of swine flu and there have been a total of 522 laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu across the nation.

There was also a swine-flu related death of a Welsh person abroad.

A total of 327 have been admitted to hospital with the illness and there were 71 clinically diagnosed patients in hospital in connection with swine flu.

Health officials revealed 20 patients had to be treated in critical care.

Pregnant women, asthma sufferers, people aged over 65, children under five, along with those with chronic heart and liver disease sufferers are being prioritised under the vaccination programme.

Bosses at Kings Road Surgery, in Mumbles, alone have seen a surge in the number of patients taking up the swine flu jab.

Practice manager Andrea Christopher said she was pleased with the reaction so far.

She said: "We have had a good response generally to the invite letter that we have sent out.

"We started our campaign last week and as per NHS guidance have invited approximately 800 patients in the "at risk" groups. "To date we have vaccinated nearly 200 patients and have further weekly clinics arranged over the next month.

"Slots in these clinics are filling up quickly with a further 300 already taken.

"It's been a good response and this will help towards limiting the spread of swine flu in the general population."

Latest figures show there were 45.8 cases of a flu-like illness diagnosed by GPs out of every 100,000 people in Wales — the equivalent of 1,374 people contacting their family doctors in the last seven days.

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Else Ulvi, practice manager at Killay Medical Centre, on Goetre Fawr Road, in Killay added: "It's going well, we have got a target group for 4,000 for the swine flu vaccine.

"We have only had 1,000 vaccines delivered and I would say around 300 have had it so far.

"We have another 250 people coming in on Saturday."

She said there was never a 100 per cent up-take of vaccine when it was rolled out.

Dr Roland Salmon, director of the communicable disease surveillance centre, National Public Health Service for Wales, said it was important patients took up the offer of the swine flu vaccine.

He added: "Sadly, the number of deaths in Wales has increased. However, the great majority of people make a full recovery.

"By following public health advice if they become ill, and taking up the swine flu vaccine now it is available to those in at-risk groups, people can help prevent the spread of the virus and by the same token help prevent death and serious disease."