N.B. plans massive vaccination effort

Provincialpublic health officials are warning that it is going to take a major effort this fall to vaccinate New Brunswickers against the swine flu virus.

Dr. Paul Van Buynder, the province's deputy chief medical officer of health, unveiled the details of the government's immunization plan in Fredericton on Thursday.

Van Buynder told reporters that no one should take this virus lightly and there remains uncertainty over how hard the second wave of the swine flu virus will hit the province.

"We have ordered 1.1 million doses of vaccine for the 750,000 people who live in New Brunswick," he said.

"It means that if 75 per cent of the population put up their hand and say they would like the vaccine and we provide them with the two doses that we think they will require, we will have sufficient vaccine over the course of the release of the vaccine from the manufacturer."

Mass vaccination clinics will be held starting in November when the vaccine is available.

Van Buynder said that late availability of the vaccine will likely cause problems.

It's expected the swine flu virus will hit along with the normal flu season in three to four weeks.

Van Buynder said New Brunswick will likely see outbreaks before the vaccine is available.

There will be mass inoculations at schools across the province.

And it's likely those schools will be used toset up clinics forthe rest of the population because not many doctor's offices will be able to handle the demand.

Apriority system will be established to give the vaccine to medical personnel and those who are most vulnerable.

The Department of Health says pregnant women, parents with children under the age of five, First Nations people and children with chronic conditions will get the vaccine first.

Van Buynder said province is now embarking on a plan to add more staff to help with the vaccination clinics this fall.

"We are looking at ways to bring retired nurses out of retirement. We are looking at ways to use nursing students in their third and four years to assist with our vaccination clinics," Van Buynder said.

"We are restricting the actual work of the nurses themselves to the pure jabbing of patients at the time."