President calls on chief hygiene officer to clarify situation over swine flu

President Václav Klaus, in his post as the commander in chief, has called on the country’s Chief Hygiene Officer, Michael Vit, to clarify whether the country is currently suffering a swine flu pandemic. The move, which the president outlined on his personal website, is in response to a mandatory vaccination against the new flu strain for members of the country’s defence ministry. The Czech president on Wednesday made clear that he considered the requirement regarding Czech soldiers highly questionable, saying they ought to be able to decide for themselves whether they wanted the shot. The defence minister has since reversed a blanket decision that all military personal be required to get the shot.

Author: Jan Velinger