Is there a vaccine to protect against swine flu?
Not yet, because the virus that is circulating is a new strain. However, a vaccine is already being developed to immunise people against swine flu. The UK government has said that it expects the first batches of vaccines to arrive in August, with around 60 million doses available by the end of the year – enough for 30 million people – with more following after that. Policy on who receives the vaccine has not yet been developed. For normal seasonal flu, vaccine is offered to those particularly at risk (the very old, very young, people with chronic medical conditions etc) and to those particularly at risk (such as medical staff). Cyprus will most likely follow UK policy when the vaccine becomes available.
