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Swine flu vaccine must be free and safe for high uptake
October 28, 2009Research: Acceptability of A/H1N1 vaccination during pandemic phase of influenza A/H1N1 in Hong Kong: Population-based cross-sectional survey
Almost half of adults surveyed in Summer 2009 in Hong Kong (45%) say they would take up free swine flu vaccination. However, this figure drops to around 1 in 7 (15%) if the price they have to pay for the vaccine reaches $HK200 (£16; €17; $26). In the absence of proved efficacy and safety, the figure decreases to less than 1 in 20 (5%), according to one of the first studies on behavioural intentions and A/H1N1 vaccination, published on bmj.com today.
The authors, led by Professor Lau at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, conclude that uptake of swine flu vaccination among the general population is unlikely to be high and would be sensitive to price and safety of the vaccine.
The results of the study also reveal that more than 6 out of 10 (63%) people mistakenly believe that the efficacy of the vaccine had been confirmed by clinical trials and around one in six (16%) believe it is necessary for all Hong Kong people to be vaccinated against swine flu.
In September 2009, there were over 22,000 confirmed swine flu cases in Hong Kong resulting in 15 associated deaths. The Hong Kong government has proposed to purchase 5 million shots of the vaccine and said it would initially be offered to 2 million high risk groups. The government also estimated that 500,000 people could voluntarily pay for vaccination; however pricing has still not been agreed.
Lau and colleagues used a telephone questionnaire to interview a random sample of 301 adults between 2-8 July, after the announcement of A/H1N1 as a pandemic on 11 June. Telephone numbers were randomly selected from current telephone directories (over 95% of households in Hong Kong have a telephone line installed), and at least three calls were made before the number was considered invalid. Interviews were done in the evening (from 6.30pm to 10pm) to avoid over-representation of people not working.
The response rate was 80%. Respondents were between 18 and 60 years of age, 55% were female and 47% were below 40 years old.
Participants were also asked about their knowledge of the vaccine, the seriousness of the pandemic and their perception of risk. A third (30%) mistakenly believed that more than 1% of those who contracted swine flu would die and around one in ten considered that they, their family or the general population had a high or very high chance of contracting the disease.
In conclusion, Professor Lau, says that from the results "it seems that free or low cost vaccination needs to be provided to achieve a high rate of vaccination against A/H1N1. More importantly, the general public has to be convinced about the vaccine's efficacy and safety as misconceptions may exist about what the scientific data show."
BMJ-British Medical Journal
The results of the study also reveal that more than 6 out of 10 (63%) people mistakenly believe that the efficacy of the vaccine had been confirmed by clinical trials and around one in six (16%) believe it is necessary for all Hong Kong people to be vaccinated against swine flu.
In September 2009, there were over 22,000 confirmed swine flu cases in Hong Kong resulting in 15 associated deaths. The Hong Kong government has proposed to purchase 5 million shots of the vaccine and said it would initially be offered to 2 million high risk groups. The government also estimated that 500,000 people could voluntarily pay for vaccination; however pricing has still not been agreed.
Lau and colleagues used a telephone questionnaire to interview a random sample of 301 adults between 2-8 July, after the announcement of A/H1N1 as a pandemic on 11 June. Telephone numbers were randomly selected from current telephone directories (over 95% of households in Hong Kong have a telephone line installed), and at least three calls were made before the number was considered invalid. Interviews were done in the evening (from 6.30pm to 10pm) to avoid over-representation of people not working.
The response rate was 80%. Respondents were between 18 and 60 years of age, 55% were female and 47% were below 40 years old.
Participants were also asked about their knowledge of the vaccine, the seriousness of the pandemic and their perception of risk. A third (30%) mistakenly believed that more than 1% of those who contracted swine flu would die and around one in ten considered that they, their family or the general population had a high or very high chance of contracting the disease.
In conclusion, Professor Lau, says that from the results "it seems that free or low cost vaccination needs to be provided to achieve a high rate of vaccination against A/H1N1. More importantly, the general public has to be convinced about the vaccine's efficacy and safety as misconceptions may exist about what the scientific data show."
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Swine Flu Current Events and Swine Flu News RSSPoll: Many parents, high-priority adults who tried to get H1N1 vaccine unable to get it
A new national poll from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that a majority of adults who tried to get the H1N1 vaccine for themselves or their children have been unable to do so.
Sneezing in times of a flu pandemic
The swine flu (H1N1) pandemic has received extensive media coverage this year. The World Health Organization, in addition to providing frequent updates about cases of infection and death tolls, recommends hyper vigilance in daily hygiene such as frequent hand washing or sneezing into the crook of our arms.
Pandemic flu vaccine campaigns may be undermined by coincidental medical events
The effectiveness of pandemic flu vaccination campaigns - like that now underway for H1N1 - could be undermined by the public incorrectly associating coincidental and unrelated health events with the vaccines.
TGen seeks emergency FDA approval of new swine flu test
The Phoenix-based non-profit Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) announced today that, along with a business collaborator, it will submit a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use of a new test to diagnose the 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus.
Triple-Combo Drug Shows Promise Against Antiviral-Resistant Swine Flu, UAB Researcher Says
An experimental drug cocktail that includes three prescriptions now widely available offers the best hope in developing a single agent to treat drug-resistant H1N1 swine flu, says a virology researcher in the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.
Will genomics help prevent the next pandemic?
This week, the Public Library of Science, an open-access publisher, presents the "Genomics of Emerging Infectious Disease," a collection of essays, perspectives, and reviews that explores how genomics-with all its associated tools and techniques-can provide insights into our understanding of emerging infectious disease.
Important new novel 2009 H1N1 flu advisory for cardiopulmonary transplantation
Each year 3-5 million people have severe cases and 250-500,000 die from complications of seasonal influenza world-wide. This year, the novel 2009 H1N1 (nH1N1) influenza, previously called swine flu, has reached pandemic status.
Major swine flu outbreak at US Air Force Academy, unique opportunity to study virus behavior
With the 2009 influenza season upon us, characterization of the epidemiology and duration of shedding for the nH1N1 virus is critical. Investigators from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Epidemiology Consult Service capitalized on a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights about the natural behavior of the nH1N1 virus, including shedding patterns, during a recent large-scale swine flu outbreak at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA).
Earlier flu viruses provided some immunity to current H1N1 influenza, study shows
University of California, Davis, researchers studying the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, formerly referred to as "swine flu," have identified a group of immunologically important sites on the virus that are also present in seasonal flu viruses that have been circulating for years.
Flu surveillance boosts control, treatment options, says UAB travel-clinic chief
Because pandemics unfold in unpredictable ways, surveillance of travel-related illness is among the most powerful tools health officials and doctors can use to detect and respond to new pathogens like the novel H1N1 influenza, says the physician who heads the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Travelers' Clinic.
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