Ms Rosie Winterton, Minister of Health, has just told Michael Fabricant
in a Parliamentary Answer that "targets are no longer set" for flu
vaccinations. Michael had asked the Minister "What percentage of the
population at-risk from the effects of catching flu will be inoculated
against existing strains of influenza by the end of 2005 in (a)
Staffordshire and (b) the West Midlands as a whole." In her answer Ms
Winterton said she didn’t know, that the system had been changed, and
that this would all be done locally to the best of their ability. Her
only note of encouragement was "The Chief Medical Officer has said that
continued improvement of uptake rates across all groups should be
encouraged".

Michael says: "This is an appalling state of affairs. If Avian Flu
(Bird flu) mutates as we expect into a type that can be transmitted
between humans and a general pandemic occurs, the survival rate will be
far higher amongst those whose resistance hasn’t been worn first down by
catching conventional flu. All people ‘at risk’ – and that includes
the elderly and those with breathing difficulties – should be
inoculated. It is very worrying that the Government has changed the
system whereby no national targets for inoculation have been set and she
has no idea at all as to what percentage of the at-risk population will
have been inoculated or even whether enough vaccine is available.

"I shall now be asking local health authorities what is the state of
current stocks of flu vaccine and whether all at-risk patients will have
been vaccinated".