automatic translation: October 18, 2009, 3:20 pm SWINE FLU Anger over special vaccine for Merkel and Co. The SPD health expert Lauterbach speaks of "two-class medicine": the federal government and the armed forces receive a different - more harmless - vaccine against swine flu than the population. The government has so far failed to provide an explanation. It is the largest vaccination campaign in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany: On Monday, 50 million cans of "Pandemrix" (manufacturer: Glaxo Smith Kline) are loaded onto trucks in Dresden and carted through the entire Federal Republic of Germany. Family doctors and health authorities are to vaccinate the population with this product against swine flu in the coming weeks. There are exceptions, however: what is supposed to be good for the population does not apply to members of the federal government, ministries, subordinate authorities and the armed forces. Even the employees of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which is responsible for the approval of vaccines, should not be treated with "Pandemrix". But with "Celvapan" (manufacturer: Baxter). A spokesman for the interior ministry admitted to "Spiegel" that 200,000 cans of "Celvapan" had been ordered for this purpose. "Large-scale experiment" with the population The reason for the unequal treatment is obviously the additives which are contained in "Pandemrix" and which are absent in "Celvapan". These additives, so-called active enhancers, can lead to an overreaction of the immune system. Wolf-Dieter Ludwig, head of the drug commission of the German medical profession, considers it a "scandal" that different standards apply to the government than to the population. SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach also sharply criticized. "This process is extremely unfortunate. This creates the impression of two-class medicine in the vaccination. Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble did not have the necessary instinct here," said Lauterbach of "Bild am Sonntag". Green parliamentary group leader Jürgen Trittin accused the federal government of "exposing the population to a large-scale experiment with an untested vaccine and allowing itself to be protected without any side effects". According to Trittin, this should further reduce the willingness of the population to be vaccinated. Beware of side effects According to the "Spiegel", side effects such as redness, fever, headache and body aches occur more frequently with vaccines with active enhancers. Therefore, on the advice of Wolfram Hartmann, President of the Federal Association of Pediatricians, children under the age of three and pregnant women should not be treated with it at all. He told the "Spiegel": "The vaccine has not yet been tested on you at all, so the risk is simply too great to use it now without hesitation." The federal government has not yet commented in detail on its special order for "Celvapan". The start of the swine flu vaccination for the population is scheduled for October 26th. Drug specialist Ludwig told the news magazine: "We are unhappy about this vaccination campaign". Their use is uncertain. And Ludwig can be quoted with the following sentence: "The health authorities fell for a campaign by the pharmaceutical companies that simply wanted to earn money with an alleged threat." DPA / AP AP DPA