'Two thirds' of London nurses without swine flu jab

A BBC London Freedom of Information request has shown the majority of medical staff remain unprotected against the virus.

Although swine flu rarely kills healthy adults, it is dangerous to many patients in hospitals.

NHS London insisted the vaccine take-up was "encouraging" and rising, with more than 60,000 staff having had the jab.

But figures, seen by BBC London, reveal the take-up has hit a plateau, with a limited increase in the numbers of staff to have been vaccinated over the last month.

In mid-December, a total of 33% of frontline staff - including dentists, paramedics and so on - had been vaccinated.

By 18 January that figure was 40% - a rise of 7%.

The vaccine has been available to some sections of the public, such as asthmatics, since October.