Last-minute jab urged as flu stalks the land

Photo / Herald on Sunday

Health officials are urging people to get a "last-minute jab" in a bid to avoid the wave of pandemic influenza hitting New Zealand.

"For anyone still thinking about getting vaccinated, now is the time to do it," public health director Mark Jacobs said this week.

There were 15,500 doses left of "seasonal" vaccine at the start of the week - which also protects against pandemic swine flu - but it takes up to two weeks to provide protection and young children require two shots three weeks apart.

Health Ministry data shows increasing numbers of people going down with flu, particularly in the North Island, indicating a second wave of pandemic H1N1 "swine flu" sweeping the country in little more than a year.

Wairarapa has been particularly badly hit, 1200 students away from school at times this week and frontline health staff being vaccinated because of that.

The districts suffering the worst tended to be ones with low influenza rates last year, such as Bay of Plenty and Taranaki.

- NZPA