HEALTH professionals shunned the swine flu injection at the height of the pandemic because of fears of its side-effects, a study at a Queensland hospital shows. The study result has shocked health experts who say staff at the major regional Queensland hospital were at the frontline of the pandemic and may have put themselves and patients at grave risk.
Last year, H1N1, or human swine flu, caused 191 deaths nationwide, including 41 in Queensland. This year, Australia is tipped to avoid a horror flu season, with 510 notifications of swine flu to Queensland Health so far this year, compared with 7700 at the height of the global pandemic last year.
The research at a regional Queensland hospital revealed just 44 per cent of the 252 doctors, nurses and other staff interviewed said they intended to have the pandemic vaccine. One-quarter said they would not be vaccinated, and 31 per cent were undecided...
