Japan Vaccinates Medical Workers Against Pandemic H1N1 Swine Flu

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Article Date: 19 Oct 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Japan started vaccinating doctors and other health professionals against H1N1 swine flu on Monday, following a government decision to prioritize recipients of the limited vaccine supply which is being produced in Japan.

According to a report by Tokyo-based online newspaper Japan Today, 1 million or so medical workers will be receiving the vaccine, followed by pregnant women and people with certain chronic diseases from November.

A 61-year-old nurse, Kazuko Naganuma, who received her vaccination on Monday along with 14 other members of the medical and pediatric clinic where she works in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, told the media that she thought giving the vaccine to medical workers first was a good idea:

"It is good as we come into contact with patients," she said.

The clinic's director, Toshio Inoue, said there were concerns about giving the vaccine to people with underlying medical conditions, but they thought "any critical moment can be overcome."

According to the priority schedule announced by Japan's Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, young children from 1 to 8 years old will receive the vaccine starting in December, and parents of infants starting early next year.

Since the virus first broke out in Japan in May this year, 27 people have died of the 2009 H1N1 swine flu, and the Japanese authorities fear the pandemic will worsen as the influenza season approaches.

Japan has a limited supply of vaccine, which will be entirely domestically produced, said an AFP report of a briefing from a ministry official.

The ministry official said the first batch will have enough doses to treat about 1.18 million people.

However, according to Japan Today, the ministry may speed up the program if experts meeting this week decide that people over the age of 12 will only need one shot of the vaccine and not two, as previously assumed.

Only 23 of Japan's 47 prefectures carried out vaccinations on Monday, with another 23 planning to start later in the week, and Tokyo starting after 26th October, said the ministry.

A health official from Tokyo told the media that:

"We have a lot more doctors and hospitals in Tokyo, which means we need more time for preparation."

Meanwhile in the prefecture of wester Osaka, where some 180,000 medical workers are waiting to be vaccinated, local officials are worried there may not be enough, said the AFP report.

According to a briefing note issued in August, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that trials completed to date suggest that the pandemic vaccines are as safe as seasonal influenza vaccines.

Anticipated side effects are expected to be similar to those for seasonal flu, which commonly includes a reaction at the injection site (eg sorness, swelling, redness), and perhaps fever, headache, and muscle or joint aches. For the majority of people, the reactions are mild and go within 24 to 48 hours.

The latest WHO figures released on 11 October show there have been over 399,232 reported cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 swine flu worldwide, and at least 4,735 deaths.

In the WHO Western Pacific region, which includes Japan, the number of cases is over 118,702, with at least 432 deaths.

The global agency emphasized that these figures represent a great underestimate of the real situation, given that "countries are no longer required to test and report individual cases".

Source: Japan Today, AFP, WHO.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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