Under-fives to get swine flu jab

Children under the age of five in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are to be given the swine flu vaccination.

The local Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Cornish GPs agreed to offer the jab despite the national programme being rejected by doctors' groups.

Director of Public Health in Cornwall, Felicity Owen, said: "Under-fives have been identified as an additional risk group."

Parents and guardians of under-fives will be contacted by GPs.

Chair of the Local Medical Committee in Cornwall, Dr Matthew Stead, said: "This has been a swift and very constructive process which is a tribute to both my GP colleagues and the PCT."

He said doctors were already having to cope with "an unprecedented mass immunisation programme" while continuing to provide their normal services.

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