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The swine flu vaccination programme began in Scotland yesterday among health workers and at-risk groups. A total of 1.3 million people are in the Scottish priority groups for the first stage of the campaign, including people across all age groups with chronic conditions like heart disease, asthma and diabetes. The priority groups also cover all pregnant women, family contacts of those whose immune systems are not functioning fully, such as some cancer patients, and front-line health and social care workers. Healthy people over 65 are not in the priority at-risk group. Meanwhile, the death was announced of a 58 year-old woman from the Borders. The woman, who has not been named, had been suffering from H1N1 and had significant underlying health conditions. She is the 17th person to die in connection with the disease in Scotland. News of her death came as the family of 17-year-old mother-to-be Denise Murray prepared for her funeral tomorrow in Galashiels. Miss Murray was eight months pregnant but died suddenly at Borders General Hospital last week after contracting H1N1. Her baby also died. Announcing the vaccination with Nicola Sturgeon, the Health Secretary, Chief Medical Officer Harry Burns urged front-line health workers to get the injection, saying it was “vital” they protect themselves and others. Dr Burns said: “Health workers may believe they’d shake off flu if they get it this winter but we know that, in a small minority, the H1N1 virus can be nasty. “Not only are frontline workers more at risk of infection but they could also spread the bug to vulnerable patients.” The first few days of the programme will focus on hospitals, where staff and long-term patients in the at-risk group will be immunised. After that, the programme will move on to GPs, who will alert and call-in their at-risk patients for the jab. The scheme will run alongside the normal seasonal flu vaccination campaign. The swine flu jab does not give protection against normal flu and the government emphasises that it is important everyone entitled to both vaccinations should receive them. Most people will require a single dose of the vaccination. Children under the age of 10 will require two doses. (Thierry Zoccolan/AFP/Getty) Frontline health workers and people with serious health conditions will be first to receive the vaccine
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