Lansley accused of U-turn over flu ad as 39 dead

BRITISH Health Secretary Andrew Lansley was yesterday accused of a U-turn after announcing the relaunch of a flu-busting ad campaign — as 39 people were confirmed dead from the virus.

The Government previously came in for criticism after Labour accused it of deciding to ditch the Catch it, Bin it, Kill it campaign.

As the Health Protection Agency confirmed 12 more flu deaths this week — taking the toll to 39 since October — Mr Lansley said the advertisement would be relaunched on Saturday.

Of the 39 deaths, 36 had swine flu and three another strain, flu type B.

All except one case were under 65 years of age and four were under the age of five.

The campaign warns people to have good manners — namely, catch coughs and sneezes, throw away tissues and wash hands thoroughly.

Mr Lansley also went one step further and urged the vulnerable to have a flu jab.

He said: “To help ease pressures on the NHS, I want to remind people what we can all do to prevent the spread of flu.

“The first line of defence against flu is to be vaccinated — I urge everyone in an at-risk group who hasn’t been vaccinated to contact their GP and book an appointment.

“The second line of defence is to practice good respiratory and hand hygiene — to cover our nose and mouth when we sneeze, put tissues in the bin and wash our hands regularly. That’s why we’re relaunching the Catch it, Bin it, Kill it campaign from this Saturday.

“The third line of defence is a well prepared NHS with the ability to treat those who do need help. “Thanks to early planning, the NHS is coping well with the pressures of seasonal flu.”

However, Labour accused the Government of committing a U-turn.

Shadow health secretary John Healey said: “The Health Secretary made a serious misjudgment when he axed the autumn advertising campaign to help public understanding of flu and boost vaccinations.

“It’s better late than never, but I welcome Andrew Lansley’s U-turn.”

Earlier this week Mr Lansley renewed his defence of the decision to axe the national publicity campaign to save cash.

“There is no additional merit in a vaccination advertising campaign for the general population when there is already a targeted approach for those who need to be called,” he said.

At the same time Labour were accused of dangerous scaremongering over flu jabs for children as the Government vehemently denied claims it ignored expert scientific advice over protecting youngsters.

The political row broke out after Mr Healey accused ministers of having “cancelled” an immunisation programme for the under-fives. This provoked a furious response from the coalition, which insisted it was the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which recommended that no specific programme was required this winter.

Last night, the JCVI said it held a teleconference yesterday to discuss the number of deaths and whether advice needed to be changed.

Professor Andrew Hall confirmed the JCVI did not think there should be a seasonal or pandemic vaccination programme for the youngsters.

Yesterday’s figures come after it was announced on Wednesday that cases of flu rose by more than 40% last week.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) reported the incidence of flu in England and Wales reached 124 per 100,000 of the population in the week ending December 26. There were 86 per 100,000 cases in the previous week.

There was a general increase across all age ranges apart from children, with the middle-aged being particularly badly hit.