France begins mass swine-flu vaccinations

Paris - France began Thursday vaccinating the general public against swine flu. The first wave of inoculations concerns what the French Health Ministry described as top-priority segments of the population.

This group of about 6 million people includes relatives and others in close proximity to infants six months of age and younger; health professionals; and high-risk individuals, notably those suffering from respiratory ailments.

In addition, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot is herself being vaccinated Thursday, in an attempt to dispel widespread fears about the vaccine and to set an example for the rest of the population.

On November 25, children and adolescents below the age of 18 will be allowed to get their swine flu shots.

However, the great majority of the French do no intend to be vaccinated against swine flu, with only 17 per cent saying in an October 23-24 poll that they would do so.

That is due partly to the fact that most French adults say they are not worried about the illness, and partly because of rumors and fears that have arisen around the vaccine.

Among the rumors currently being spread on the internet is a claim that the vaccine can be used to implant electronic chips in the bodies of children.

If the poll figure holds up, it would leave the French Health Ministry with a lot of unused vaccine. France has purchased 94 million doses of swine-flu vaccine at a cost of 712 million euros (1.07 billion dollars).

According to the government's Health Protection Institute, as of November 3 some 341,000 people in France have consulted physicians because of swine flu this year, a significant increase from the previous week's total of 266,000.

On mainland France, 22 people have died this year because of swine flu, with another 27 deaths attributed to the disease in the French overseas territories.