Patients shunning swine flu jab

More than half of patients in the UK are turning down the swine flu vaccine, a snapshot survey suggests Wednesday. A poll of 107 British GPs found some people were concerned about possible side-effects of the jab while others believed there was no need to have it because the virus is mild. Family doctors are currently vaccinating people at high risk from swine flu, including pregnant women, health workers and those with asthma, heart disease and diabetes. The poll of GPs in England, for the medical Journal, “Pulse magazine”, found resistance to the jab was particularly high among pregnant women and, overall, only 46 percent of patients offered the vaccine are thought to have said yes. One family doctor estimated that as few as one in 20 pregnant women were opting to have the vaccine. Last week, the British Government published online information and leaflets aimed at persuading pregnant women to have the vaccine. The number of new swine flu infections is currently hovering around 64,000 a week in England.