UK Inoculates Entire Population against Swine Flu

British authorities announced entire population will receive swine flu vaccine. Photo by BGNES

Great Britain will give swine flu, A(H1N1), vaccine to its entire population, the Telegraph reports Sunday.

The news comes after an Essex man died from the virus Friday without having any underlying health problems.

The new vaccine could be ready in just five days and ministers predict that as many as 20 million people could be inoculated before the end of the year.

The authorities have secured up to 90 million doses of the vaccine, which is expected to arrive in Britain in the next few weeks, and the rest of the population is likely to be offered vaccinations next year. The British GPs are being told to prepare for a nationwide vaccination campaign.

"If this virus does mutate, it can get a lot more nasty, and the idea is to give people immunity. But the sheer logistics of dealing with 60 million people can't be underestimated," Peter Holden, the British Medical Association's lead negotiator on swine flu is quoted as saying.