EU health ministers' warning over swine flu

The spread of swine flu may be under control in Europe but EU Health Ministers have warned against complacency insisting nobody should take the situation for granted.

Meeting at an extraordinary Health Council in Luxembourg to take stock of the situation before the start of the cold weather, the ministers urged people to get vaccinated, even though the potentially deadly flu had not hit as hard as initially feared.

"Even if the pandemic situation isn't so dramatic in Europe right now, we have to listen to the experts who say it's not time to lower our guard," Swedish Public Health Minister Maria Larsson said.

EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou also warned that, while it was up to individuals to decide whether they should get vaccinated, it was probably better to take precautions.

"We don't know how this virus will evolve with the change of weather. So we have to be prepared for the worst, hoping the worst will not come," she said.

The A(H1N1) virus "has not hurt us as much as we thought and I hope people still want to have a vaccination", she told journalists.

The EU ministers urged the Commission to continue supporting procurement processes for the vaccine for those member states, candidate countries, potential candidates and neighbouring countries that do not have an agreement with manufacturers.

At the meeting Malta was represented by Community Care Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea.

The European Commission has already cleared three vaccines for distribution in Europe to fight swine flu, amid fears of a second wave of the virus.

Recent statistics by the World Health Organisation show at least 4,525 people have died from the infections since the A(H1N1) virus was uncovered in April. Most deaths occurred in the Americas region, where 3,292 fatalities were reported.

About 890 people have died from the infection in the Asia-Pacific region and at least 193 fatal cases have been recorded in Europe.

In Malta, three people died from swine-flu-related complications and there were 329 people who had contracted the virus.