One swine flu vaccine for MPs, another for the common people

Appalling though our MPs’ behaviour may be, at least they haven’t tried doing what German politicians have done. According to Time, German MPs, civil servants and the military are to get a swine flu vaccine, Celvapan, which has relatively few side effects. The rest of the population will be getting Pandemrix, a vaccine which is said to be far riskier, particularly for pregnant women and children.

The Interior Ministry claimed that 200,000 doses of Celvapan had been ordered before the differences in the two vaccines was known and that the government was bound by its contract. That sounds like Zebu to us. They also pointed out that the vaccine being used in Britain was Pandemrix.

We may despite our politicians at the moment, but surely they wouldn’t dream of getting a different vaccine to the hoi polloi. Perhaps it’s time for a Freedom of Information Act request, just to be sure.