Monday sees the start of a large-scale vaccination programme against the A(H1N1) flu virus for high-risk groups and health care professionals in the Netherlands.

|At present only people with additional health risks are eligible for vaccination – those who are normally offered an annual flu jab. They include people with respiratory problems or heart disease, women who are over 14 weeks pregnant, and the over-60s. Both health care staff and people with family members in high-risk groups also have the option to be vaccinated.

Because of the publicity surrounding the A(H1N1) strain – known in the Netherlands as Mexican flu – the annual standard flu jab had a huge uptake this year, with long cues forming at GPs surgeries. Those who lined up for the standard jab automatically received an invitation for an A(H1N1) vaccination.

Children
On Monday the health authorities are expected to present their recommendation Health Minister Ab Klink as to whether young children should also be vaccinated. Mr Klink has already said infants are likely to be added to the list of people entitled to an A(H1N1) jab. Concerns have grown about the risks of the flu for young people after two girls, aged 14 and 3, recently died from the disease – neither of them had any underlying health problems. However, at present there is not enough vaccine available to vaccinate children in all age groups.

If it were left up to Dutch children to decide whether they should be vaccinated or not, the answer would apparently be a resounding ‘no’. When the popular children’s news programme Jeugjournaal surveyed 2000 kids aged between 9 and 14, over 80 percent said they weren’t worried about getting the flu, and six out of 10 said they didn’t think vaccination was necessary. The children also said they thought there was far too much news reporting on the epidemic. However, around a quarter said they didn’t want a jab simply because they were scared of the needle.

Conspiracy
Meanwhile as the vaccination programme gets underway, many are equally unnerved by reports of supposed dangers associated with the A(H1N1) jab. Fears of possible health risks are raised by despuitblijfteruit.nl and the NVKP, the Dutch Society for Critical Vaccination. Opponents of vaccination argue the vaccine contains toxic substances such as aluminium and mercury.

The vaccine panic in the Netherlands is being fuelled by US websites which are less restrained in their criticism of the flu jab and feature a range of conspiracy theories. While stopthevax.com describes vaccination as “poison, period!”, theflucase.com wonders “Could a ‘swine flu’ jab nanochip interact with heavy metals to allow others to control your emotions?”