No-deal Brexit likely to delay flu vaccine just as ‘particularly virulent’ strain threatens UK

Doctors have warned that a no-deal Brexit could affect the supply of flu vaccines. Picture: Arthur Tilley/Getty Images/Creatas RF - Credit: Getty Images/Creatas RF

Doctors are warning that a no-deal Brexit is likely to delay the supply of flu vaccines, at the same moment that ‘a particularly virulent’ strain of the illness is on its way to our shores.

Free flu vaccines are offered annually to those most at risk of the illness, such as the over-65s and pregnant women, and the NHS advises taking up the offer in the autumn.

Last winter, 72% of eligible people over 65, and 45% of eligible pregnant women had the vaccine, according to Public Health England.

However, a number of doctors and other health professionals have warned that a no-deal Brexit could harm this year’s supply.

The president of the Royal College of Physicians, Andrew Goddard, told BBC Newsnight: “I can’t sit here and say ‘don’t worry, no deal will be fine, no one is going to come to any harm, no one is going to run out of medicines’.

“What we can see is we’re likely to not have enough flu vaccine, we are likely not to have the flu vaccine coverage that we’ve had in previous years, and that is likely to have an impact on the NHS.”

Drugs manufacturer Sanofi UK would also expect flu issues in the event of no deal.

Hugo Fry, managing director, told the BBC that more than a million doses of the vaccine would still need to be imported into the country after October 31, due to a delay in identifying which strains of flu to put into this year’s supply.

He explained: “In the world of vaccines you get shortages more often than you do in medicines, for example, because of the complexity.

“Therefore imagine in a world where it is difficult to get things into a country and there’s a shortage of a particular vaccine, that’s when you want to rush it into the country in case there’s a shortfall.

“Rushing things into a country in a period post no-deal Brexit might be a bit difficult, for example.

“Unfortunately I didn’t bring my crystal ball with me, but what we’re doing is planning for what we think will be the worst-case scenario.”

The deputy chief executive of NHS Providers agrees there could be problems, and thinks doctors are “facing a triple whammy” this year when it comes to issues with flu medicine.

Saffron Cordery said: “We’re coming out of the summer, which has been a really tricky summer for the NHS. We are also facing a particularly virulent strain of flu coming from Australia.”

Health organisations including the NHS and health unions have expressed concern for medical supplies in a no-deal Brexit scenario several times, including in internal contingency planning documetns as well as public statements.

MORE: Eleven medical unions warn against potentially ‘fatal’ effects of a no-deal Brexit Revealed: the ‘terrifying’ NHS Brexit planning the government doesn’t want you to seeThe Department of Health said: “We are working closely with vaccine suppliers to ensure they have robust contingencies in place.

“We want to reassure our patients that our plans should ensure that supplies of vaccines remain uninterrupted when we leave the EU on October 31, whatever the circumstances.”