Govt offers swine flu vaccine to Aussies

Australians should take advantage of a safe, free swine flu vaccine that has cost
the commonwealth government more than $100 million, federal Health Minister Nicola
Roxon says.
The vaccine for swine flu, or the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, was launched by the
minister in Perth on Wednesday, becoming available free to the public in Australia's
biggest vaccination program.
Swine flu has remained a mild illness for most who have caught it, but it has led to
more than 4,700 people being hospitalised in Australia and figured in nearly 200
deaths.
Ms Roxon said vulnerable people in high-risk categories, including those with
chronic diseases, pregnant women and indigenous people, should have the vaccine.
More than 21 million doses will be made available and 30 per cent of the broader
population is expected to receive vaccinations, as well as those considered
vulnerable.
The doses cost more than $100 million, but the exact cost could not be revealed
under an agreement with the vaccine's manufacturer CSL.
Ms Roxon said the government had ordered 21 million doses under early advice that
two doses would be required.
"We'll encourage all people to take advantage of that. However, it's not mandatory,
so of course there will be some people who choose not to and we respect that," she
said.
A total of 5.5 million doses of the vaccine were delivered across the nation ahead
of the program's launch, and the remaining doses would become available month by
month until January.
The federal government has pledged to make 10 per cent of its order available to
developing countries in the region.
"Obviously, our priority is first to the Australian community, but we're confident
there will be sufficient doses available for that 10 per cent to be provided to a
number of our near neighbours," Ms Roxon said.
Ms Roxon said she was satisfied the vaccine was safe.
"I am very satisfied of the strong advice we have received, that this vaccine is
safe and effective," he said.
"It's produced in the same way the seasonal flu vaccine is produced."
People may experience mild side-effects from the vaccine including tenderness in the
arm and mild nausea, Ms Roxon said.
"All of those things are very minor compared to the quite severe consequences if you
are a vulnerable person and get this disease," she said.
"It is far safer to get the vaccine than it is to get the swine flu."
Australian Medical Association deputy president Steve Hambleton said the AMA was
"very confident in the safety of this vaccine."
"In fact, you could argue this vaccine has been more tested than previous vaccines
because they've run trials to prove it's the same, whereas normally TGA (Therapeutic
Goods Administration) would accept that the method of manufacturing is sufficient
evidence to say the vaccine works," Mr Hambleton said.
Any suggestion the vaccine was linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a form of
paralysis, was "tenuous at best", and there was no evidence to support any links
between the two, Mr Hambleton said.
The vaccine rollout would put pressure on GPs but it was appropriate that the
program be run through general practices, he said.
The vaccine will also be available at community centres in WA and hospitals in some
states.
Ms Roxon said she would "absolutely" be having the vaccine but would visit her GP to
get hers when she returned home.
"As an asthmatic, I know I am in one of the risk categories, and I regard it as an
important way to protect not just me but my family," she said.