MILLIONS of doses of the Commonwealth's swine flu vaccine could expire as people opt for the new seasonal flu vaccine, which provides broader protection for the year ahead, a Victorian doctor says.
Dr Peter Eizenberg, a GP and former member of the federal government's immunisation committee, said a significant proportion of the government's 21 million doses could go to waste now that the new seasonal flu vaccine had arrived.
He said some of his patients were already opting to pay up to $25 for the seasonal vaccine because it protected against three strains tipped to circulate in coming months. not just the swine flu strain covered by the government's free pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine, Panvax.
The federal government spent $120 million last year on 21 million doses of Panvax.
About seven million doses have been distributed so far, as well as more than 241,000 prefilled syringes for use in children younger than three.
The vaccine has a shelf life of 12 months.
Last month, the federal government announced that it had sent 600,600 doses of Panvax to Laos - the first batch of 2.1 million doses to support developing countries in the region.
A spokeswoman for Health Minister Nicola Roxon said Australians should continue to take advantage of the free program in coming months because swine flu had already hospitalised nearly 5000 Australians, with 190 deaths recorded - a third of whom were otherwise fit and healthy.But she rejected the assertion that the vaccine would go to waste.
Dr Eizenberg said he expected people would be attracted to the seasonal flu vaccine from now on because it was impossible to tell which one of the three strains would dominate in Australia until the season was under way. The swine flu strain had predominated in the northern hemisphere, he said.
Australians can receive panvax free from a doctor at the moment.
Under the government's seasonal flu vaccine program, people over the age of 65, indigenous people over 15, pregnant women and those with chronic illnesses can receive the vaccine free.
