Swine flu vaccine is rolled out

The swine flu vaccine will be offered to 11 million people to start with

The first phase of a mass vaccination programme designed to stop the spread of swine flu has now started in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland with Wales to follow shortly.

Around 27,000 people a week are now being infected with the virus in England, up sharply over the last couple of months but still below the levels seen in June and July.

In early October a pregnant teenager in Scotland became the 106th Briton to die after catching the bug, although doctors stress the vast majority of cases are still very mild.

The new vaccine will now be offered to 14 million people in various at risk groups before health bosses decide if everyone else should get it.

What does the vaccine do?

The vaccine is an injection that is meant to stop you catching swine flu.

How is this different from Tamiflu?

Tamiflu is not a vaccine but an antiviral pill. It is being given to people who phone up the swine flu helpline after catching the bug to reduce the symptoms of the disease.

The new vaccine is a separate injection that is designed to stop you catching swine flu in the first place.

How do I get the vaccine?

Not everyone can get it straight away. Drug companies cannot make the drug quickly enough to vaccinate everyone, so it is being rolled out in stages with at risk groups first in line.

Who are in these at risk groups?

The jab is now being offered to health care workers and hospital patients with serious diseases such as cancer that affect the immune system.

Next week the scheme will be expanded to include pregnant women and anyone with a problem like asthma or diabetes.

It will also be offered to people in "household contact" with someone suffering from a compromised immune system; for example someone living with a cancer patient.

How much will it cost?

The injection is free on the NHS.

How many doses will I need?

There are two separate vaccines made by different drug companies. Most people will be given a single dose of Pandemrix. An alternative vaccine called Celvapan needs two doses.

Who do I call?

If you are in one of the at risk groups then your doctor should know about it and you will receive a letter in the post in the next few weeks.

If you are concerned you might miss out then contact your GP.

Why are pregnant women being offered it?

Most pregnant women who catch swine flu only have very mild symptoms.

But if you are pregnant, it's thought your altered immune systems and reduced lung capacity does makes you more susceptible to a severe case of the disease.

Pregnant women are between four and seven times more likely to end up in hospital after catching 'normal' seasonal flu than non-pregnant women.

Of the 106 swine flu deaths reported in the UK, six patients died either while pregnant or shortly after giving birth.

For those reasons doctors recommend all pregnant women should get the vaccine.

Do I have to take the vaccine?

No. The swine flu vaccine is voluntary although the government is "strongly advising" people in the at risk groups to take it.

What is in the vaccine?

Both versions of the swine flu vaccine use an inactive or "dead" version of the virus. Doctors say there is no way of catching swine flu by taking the vaccine.

Are there any side effects?

Doctors say that some people may experience mild fever up to 48 hours after the jab as their immune system responds to the vaccine, but this is not flu.

Around one in 10 people are likely to suffer from headaches, muscle pain, swelling around the injection site or tiredness.

I've heard the jab can cause a brain disease. Is that true?

Back in the 1970s, millions of Americans were vaccinated against a similar strain of swine flu. A tiny proportion developed something called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) which can cause muscles to seize up.

Scientists have never found a direct link between the vaccination and GBS and the reason why it appeared to cause a handful of cases is still unknown.

No cases of GBS have been found in the trials of the new swine flu vaccine.

How much testing has been done on this vaccine?

The European Medicines Agency has approved the main vaccine based on tests carried out on a dummy or "mock-up" formula designed to behave just like the real thing.

The company behind it is now carrying out another 16 trials with 9,000 adults and children. Most medicines are not tested on pregnant women.

What if I already think I've had swine flu?

If you have already caught swine flu then you should now have a natural immunity to the disease. But most people are not going to know for sure if they have picked up swine flu, everyday seasonal flu or another random bug with similar symptoms.

If you are in an at risk group then doctors recommend taking the vaccine unless your previous case of swine flu was confirmed by a laboratory test.

What's the difference between seasonal flu and swine flu?

Seasonal flu is a type of virus that occurs every year and typically infects 15% of the population.

Each year the virus changes slightly meaning you need a different vaccination to stop yourself catching it.

Both the seasonal flu vaccine and the swine flu vaccine are completely different.

The seasonal flu vaccine will not protect you from swine flu and the swine flu vaccine will not protect you from seasonal flu.

Both though can be taken at the same time.