Some Bedford communities are rejecting flu vaccine over pork gelatine concerns, meeting hears

Some Bedford borough communities are rejecting the flu vaccination as it may contain pork gelatine, a meeting heard.

Bedford Borough Council’s Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee heard on Monday (October 10) that the public vaccination programmes for the Autumn Covid booster and flu started last month.

A report presented to the committee said the programmes will be delivered principally through GP practices/vaccination centres and pharmacies.

Councillor Fouzia Zamir Atiq (Labour, Cauldwell) wanted to know about alternatives to flu vaccines that contain pork gelatine.

She said that this has led to some faith groups and communities declining to be vaccinated.

“What is the alternative if they decline on the basis of faith,” she asked?

Committee chair, councillor Graeme Coombes (Conservative, Wilshamstead) wondered whether pork products in the vaccines are actually an essential part of the vaccine.

“Or are they or are they just something that is in there to administer it, and are there other ways of doing it?” he asked.

Michelle Summers, associate director of communications and engagement at BLMK ICB, said she’d have to come back to the committee in terms of alternatives, but information is available on the ICB’s website.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached the ICB for a statement on alternative vaccinations and other medications. It responded with a link to a UK Health Security web page.

The page stated that gelatine is used in a very wide range of medicines, including many capsules and some vaccines.

It added that porcine gelatine is used as a stabiliser in vaccines to ensure that the vaccine remains “safe and effective” during storage.

It pointed out that developing a vaccine takes many years of laboratory testing and clinical studies to ensure that it is both safe and effective.

Once a stabiliser for a vaccine has been chosen any change might requireextensive studies to show that the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine has not been affected.

This may take several years, or “may never happen”.

The advice from UK Health Security is to talk to your doctor or practice nurse before rejecting any vaccines or other medications.