New shots fired in flu fight | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

A new influenza super-shot will hopefully keep pregnant women, the chronically sick, and elderly people shielded against swine flu in Wairarapa this year. The at-risk groups are being targeted from Monday in an early immunisation campaign, but immunisations will also be available to paying customers.
The improved seasonal influenza vaccine, at GP practices from Monday, will cover recipients against the H1N1 (swine) flu strain, as well as two other strains of influenza prevalent in California and Asia. Swine flu killed 16,000 people worldwide last year.
The shot will also be aimed at some children with high needs as well as people who are obese, aged over 65, or have chronic illnesses.
It works in the same way as other influenza vaccines and following immunisation takes about two weeks to build a good immune response, say specialists.
There were still stocks of the antiviral medicine Tamiflu in the region, but it was expected the new vaccine would mean little of that would be needed.
Those who took Tamiflu last year were still being urged to get immunised.
Wairarapa District Health Board immunisation facilitator Tina Tyacke said the shot was especially recommended for pregnant women, as they were four times more likely to be admitted to hospital with swine flu-related complications.
Ms Tyacke said the DHB would be publicising the programme, as well as basic hygiene messages.
''In New Zealand, 100 people per year die of flu-related symptoms, so there is still work to be done.''
The immunisation programme is scheduled to run until June.
Although swine flu last year had little impact on Wairarapa _ with just a handful of people confirmed as having the strain _ the Ministry of Health is expecting it to be the dominant flu strain this year and is forecasting that, based on the northern hemisphere's experience, another outbreak could hit the country by late March.
Since the pandemic began last April, almost all countries have had outbreaks of pandemic flu and nearly 16,000 laboratory-confirmed deaths have been reported worldwide. However, the transmission of the pandemic virus at global level is declining.