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First 1,000 children are given swine flu vaccine in trial begin
Anna Davis, Education Correspondent29 Sep 2009
Children in Britain received swine flu jabs today as trials for the vaccine started.
About 1,000 will get jabs over the next fortnight to see which of two drugs performs best. The children, aged six months to 12 years, are being recruited at five test venues in London, Oxford, Bristol, Southampton and Exeter.
One vaccine — Pandremix, made by GlaxoSmithKline — has been approved by European regulators. Another, made by Baxter, is still being considered by the European Medicines Agency but could secure approval this week.
Head researcher Professor Andrew Pollard, from Oxford University, told the BBC: “We are sort of in a race against time because the flu season has started. We hope to immunise the children over the next 10 days.”
The most recent data showed the number of swine flu cases almost doubled in a week, from an estimated 5,000 to 9,000, and 82 deaths have been linked to the virus.
Pregnant Nicolette Wolf took her17-month-old son to be immunised at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. She said: “I'm pregnant and the less chance of me getting swine flu the better.”
Reader views (9)
Drivel, William, is apparenetly all that comes out of your mouth. One company in America, HBOC, is set to make about $30,000,000,000 from this vaccine. That's 30 Billions US Dollars if you can't count that high. And while it only has a little Arsenic in it, a large majority of it is over a year old left over from last year, and pumped full of even MORE mercury than was put in it originally as a preservative... I learned in 7th freaking grade that you shouldn't put mercury in your body. Why don't you go drink up??
- Thelonster, Atlanta, GA, 23/10/2009 04:26
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William - London.
You sound as if you work for the company that produces this vaccine.
Google "patent US20090060950A1" which is Baxters US patent for H1N1 vaccine and what it takes to produce it.
It is a pdf.
I wouldn't want that in my system thank you and it was also applied for 1 year before the outbreak.
- Brian, London, 30/09/2009 12:16
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Why cant they try the trials in another country first.
- Worried Parent, Lake District, 30/09/2009 09:26
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It would be helpful if William of Hay~Heath stopped writing such drivel. The stupidity of this tosh beggars belief. To suggest that the regulatory authorities, including the World Health Organisantion, the vaccine manufacturers, doctors, biochemists and virologists who produced it do not know what is in it is the ravings of someone whose sanity should be questioned.
It is a flu vaccine for God's sake and not packaged arsenic!!! Like every other flu vaccine it will primarily consist of the virus itself, that has been killed by heat or chemicals or is live but genetically modified to remove its virulence. Effectively what you are doing is to get the body to recognise the surface proteins of the virus and produce an antibody response.
To Marianne of France and Max of London, the reason why they have been able to produce a vaccine so quickly is that flu viruses of whichever type and strain have commonalities. They are categorised according to the number of hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) suface proteins found on the virus. What they have been able to do is to tweak a normal seasonal flu vaccine to fit the bill. If one were developing a vaccine against a completely new organism it would take years; indeed for some viruses like HIV, it may be that we could never develop a wholly protective vaccine.
And to jc, the internet wonderful as it is has give the world's wackos the opportunity to spread alarm and conspiracies to their heart's content.
- William, London, 29/09/2009 17:14
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It is time peeps in the UK took their own lives in their own hands and the lives of their children in their own hands - and NOT relying on some spin and waffle spouted by this corrupt government.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR, 29/09/2009 16:13
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So giving a Flu Jab Vaccine to a baby is aok, as 1 size fits all. Health Officials that administer this drug do not know what it consists off, more importantly what will be the health risks in 10-15 years time when these children start to grow up!
- William, Hay~Heath UK, 29/09/2009 13:16
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This is all far too rushed.
To all parents I'd say think hard about putting your childrens long-term health at risk for a short term fix.
- Max, London, 29/09/2009 13:14
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I am very, very worried. I have a 10 month old son and if they roll out this programme nationwide, I have no idea whether I should go along with it or not. I have spent my whole pregnancy and the last 10 months researching MMR and I have yet to decide whether to allow him even that. If I suddenly have to make a rash decision on this vaccine, I am worried I will make the wrong choice.
- Jc, London, 29/09/2009 12:18
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I'm confused. At a time when every other drug and vaccine takes YEARS to be proved safe and effective, which cupboard have all these swine flu vaccines suddenly appeared from? Smoke and mirrors if you ask me - the reality is there is no safe solution ......
- Marianne, SW France/London, 29/09/2009 09:20
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