CANBERRA The inventor of the flu vaccination, which is given to 15 million Britons each year, said that he feared a severe outbreak of the virus and that he had never been very impressed with its efficacy.

Dr Graeme Laver, former Professor of Biochemistry at the Australian National University in Canberra, said: “It is better to do nothing, and I wouldn’t want to advise people not to take it, but you can’t rely on it doing any good.”

Instead, Dr Laver said the best way to protect public health was to make drugs that fight the virus after infection — such as Tamiflu and Relenza, — available over the counter. He said that as they are available only by prescription, valuable time is lost as people wait to see their GPs.

Dr Laver, who receives royalties from the sale of Relenza, told the Daily Mail: “You could have a severe epidemic. Thousands will be ill and many will die. Doesn’t anyone care? The safe and effective anti-flu drugs could, if used correctly, avoid much of this distress.”

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