Sweden’s swine flu response wins EU praise

Two European-wide health bodies have praised Sweden’s response to the swine flu pandemic, particularly the country's mass vaccination programme. Nearly half of all Europeans to have been vaccinated are Swedes.

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The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) praised Sweden’s campaign to combat the spread of the flu. “ECDC considers that Sweden is among the best in Europe when it comes to vaccinations,” a spokesperson told the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper.

Monika Benstetter, information officer at the European-wide public health body, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), praised the Swedish Government’s openness about the influenza, and commended the Government for keeping the public informed about the side effects of the vaccine in a timely manner. “The vaccine was made quickly available and many have been willing to vaccinate themselves, which is different from many other European countries,” she told the paper.

Over 40 percent of Swedes – nearly four million people – have been vaccinated against swine flu, according to the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (Smittskyddsinstitutet), and Sweden’s municipal councils and health authorities. This compares with the total number of EU residents vaccinated, around 10 million.