TENS of thousands of patients were being contacted by their doctors last night as the full extent of Britain’s flu vaccine problems emerged. Three days into the first week of the Government’s flu immunisation campaign, GPs around the country said they were being forced to cancel thousands of vaccination appointments because of supply shortages.

The problems emerged after Chiron Vaccines, the British-based producer of 2.4 million doses of Fluvirin for use in Britain, had its manufacturing licence suspended by the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency. It said that its decision had been taken amid concerns about possible contamination, but that the exact problems remained commercially confidential.

Chiron, which has its main plant in Liverpool, produces one in six of Britain’s 14 million flu vaccines and almost half of the 100 million supplies used in America each year.

In the United States, doctors, health authorities and patients have also been plunged into crisis by the loss of the British flu vaccine, which halved the 100 million doses expected to be given to Americans.

Tommy Thompson, the US Health Secretary, pleaded with the American public to co-operate in a policy of voluntary rationing. The available doses had to go to those who “truly need it most.”

GPs in Britain told The Times that they had been told of supply problems only last week, which had come “out of the blue”. Practices had to contact thousands of patients to tell them that immunisation in some cases would not start until next month.

Penny Flack, a doctor in Stowmarket, Suffolk, said that she was told yesterday by Chiron that her order of 3,000 vaccines could not be honoured. She said that her practice, which serves 14,500 patients, was not looking for an alternative supplier.

“I have been left not knowing where I will get my vaccine from now, and if there will be enough to supply our at-risk patients,” she said. “This is a major blow to our winter planning. We are concerned that patients may not have vaccinations done. That will have serious implications if we have a flu epidemic.”

George Kassianos, a GP from Bracknell, Berkshire, managed to order 2,000 vaccines from France and Germany yesterday, but supplies would not be available until November.

Ian Mack, a GP in Watlington, Norfolk, said that his surgery was left with no guidance on which vaccines were safe or what to tell patients. Norwich Primary Care Trust said that up to 20,000 doses of vaccine had been ordered for the annual flu jab campaign and 17 practices had been affected by the delay.

“It’s appalling that, with the level of investment in the NHS, the Government has failed to get the message out to front-line staff ahead of the press,” Dr Mack said. “I have no doubt this suspension, alongside other delays in vaccines, is going to halt the progress of mass vaccination of those at risk in Norfolk. We can only pray that if flu comes, it doesn’t arrive until after Christmas.”

The Department of Health annual flu immunisation programme was launched on Monday. It targets free jabs at people most at risk from flu, including the elderly and patients with long-term conditions such as asthma.

The British Medical Association said that shortages of vaccines could hit parts of the country that had expected supplies from Chiron.

Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA’s GPs committee, said: “This will have a significant impact on the flu immunisation programme, and the impact will be patchy.”

The Department of Health said that contingency plans were in place to secure flu jab doses from other sources.

TRIPLE WHAMMY

Three major strains of flu have been identified as likely to hit Britain this year, and have been used as the basis for vaccine production.

A-FUJIAN
Considered the most virulent of the three strains. Fujian flu is more common and more likely to cause serious illness. The onset of symptoms can take less than 24 hours to develop, as opposed to the common cold, which is more gradual.

A vaccine known as A Wyoming, considered a better match than most recent vaccines, has been developed to protect against the infection.

A-NEW CALEDONIA
Less pathogenic than other strains affecting Britain in recent years, but identified as a risk by the World Health Organisation.

Unlike A-Fujian and B-Shanghai, which are both new this year, this strain has been in the flu vaccine mix for several years.

B-SHANGHAI
This virus, similar in potency to the New Caledonia strain, can leave people confined to their beds for several days with a fever, followed by a further few days with a cough and a runny nose.

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