Are there vaccines to prevent swine flu?
It appears that the first doses of the vaccine will be available in late October 2009. Almost certainly, there will not be enough vaccine for everyone, at first, and so some priority groups will get the vaccine first. In the United States the highest priority groups will be: • Pregnant women because they are at higher risk of complications and can potentially provide protection to infants who cannot be vaccinated. • Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications and cannot be vaccinated. Vaccination of those in close contact with infants less than 6 months old might help protect infants by “cocooning” them from the virus. • Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel because infections among healthcare workers have been reported and this can be a potential source of infection for vulnerable patients. Also, increased absenteeism in this population could reduce healthcare sy
