Stocks of NHS vaccine run low after bird flu scare

The NHS could run out of winter flu vaccines after fears of a flu pandemic triggered unprecedented demand, health officials have warned.

The Department of Health said the "worried well" had besieged GPs demanding the flu jab even though it would be useless against bird flu.

David Salisbury, the department's head of immunisation, has written to GPs warning that emergency stocks will soon run out.

The Government ordered 14 million doses - more than enough to cover the 11 million people judged at risk from flu, those over 65, and younger people with chronic conditions such as asthma. But doctors have been requesting additional supplies.

Dr Salisbury said: "There is concern that the vaccine may have been used on the 'worried well' rather than the pre-agreed risk groups."

There are still pre-ordered doses scheduled for delivery throughout November and into December, and the Department is to release its stock from its contingency reserve, "but we expect that this stock of 400,000 doses will soon be exhausted", Dr Salisbury said.

A further 200,000 doses will be delivered in late January, but further supplies are uncertain, he added. Dr Salisbury urged GPs not to over-order vaccine and to make sure all their remaining doses were only used for at-risk groups.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said there was no evidence that doctors had been using the vaccine inappropriately.

Laurence Buckman, deputy chairman of the BMA's GPs committee, said the average annual uptake of 70 per cent of eligible NHS patients had been exceeded this year. "The uptake figure has been noticeably higher, probably as a result of the widespread media attention given to flu in the context of bird flu stories."

He added: "There should be sufficient capacity built into the supply to ensure those needing protection can get it."