Great Britain launched a vaccination programme today to prevent further spread of Mexican flu. Seriously ill patients in hospitals, as well as the doctors and nurses caring for them, will be the first of 11 million people identified as priority cases to receive the jab in Britain, the country hardest hit by the virus.

They will be followed by pregnant women, the elderly, people with health problems or chemotherapy patients with immune systems which leave them particularly vulnerable to the A(H1N1) virus. Out of an estimated 370,000 cases of swine flu in Britain, some 100 people have died, but the vast majority had underlying health problems.

The spread of the virus appears to have peaked during the summer months, but the number of new cases has started to rise again. The vaccination programme has been planned before the expected second peak in the winter.