Fear of swine flu highest in Malta

The Maltese fear the swine flu more than anybody else in 30 European countries and, yet, the uptake of the H1N1 jab remains low.

In fact, fewer than 95,000 Maltese took the jab despite constant calls by the authorities.

A Eurobarometer survey last November indicated that the Maltese were the most keen to get vaccinated among the 27 EU countries, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. Sixty-seven per cent of the Maltese said they were likely or very likely to take the jab.

The vaccines arrived a month later and healthcare workers were the first to get the jab at the end of December, followed by pregnant women and patients suffering from chronic conditions. At the end of January, the authorities opened vaccination for everyone.

But although the survey found that 56 per cent of the Maltese thought they were likely to contract the virus causing a worldwide pandemic, less than a fourth of the population took the vaccine so far.

Only four per cent of respondents thought they were not at all likely to contract swine flu and 21 per cent said they were rather unlikely.

On the other hand, the Austrians were the least worried about contracting the virus, with 82 per cent saying they were unlikely to get sick.

The survey found that almost half of the Maltese thought swine flu was more dangerous than seasonal influenza And 60 per cent changed their behaviour to protect themselves - the highest percentage among all 30 countries surveyed. This included regular hand washing, avoiding contact with sick people and getting vaccinated.

The survey showed a good level of trust in the health authorities, with about 80 per cent saying they trusted both Maltese and European bodies, the highest level in the EU. A staggering 92 per cent said they trusted health professionals and 56 per cent said they trusted the media to inform them about the pandemic.

Three-quarters of the Maltese expressed satisfaction at the preventive measures taken and more than half were worried it would become a serious risk.

A third of Maltese respondents mistakenly believed that the seasonal influenza vaccine protected them from swine flu.

The Maltese seemed to be the most confident with regard to the effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine among Europeans.