Now under-fives are to be given swine flu jab

Healthy children under the age of five will be given the swine flu jab, the Government announced today.

The swine flu immunisation programme has already started, with NHS workers, pregnant women and people with underlying health problems first in line.

But the programme will now be extended to children with no health problems aged between six months and five years.

They are the healthy age group most likely to end up in hospital. Around 81 per cent of under fives who end up in hospital have no previous health conditions, such as asthma or diabetes.

The first wave of vaccinations, being offered to nearly 14 million people, should be finished by Christmas.

GPs are expected to begin giving vaccinations to healthy children when they are coming to the end of dealing with the first wave of patients.

There are no official figures on the number of people who have had the swine flu jab. But a BBC poll of more than 2,000 people showed nearly half had doubts about getting immunised.

However, WHO vaccine expert Marie-Paule Kieny said: "Reporting so far reconfirms the pandemic flu vaccine is as safe as the seasonal flu vaccine."

Latest figures for London show a decline in the number of people in hospital for the virus. Last week 161 people were hospitalised compared with 172 the previous week.

The number in intensive care has also dropped, from 39 to 26.

Forty people in total in London have died after catching swine flu.