| Author |
 Topic  |
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
 Posted - 01/28/2010 : 11:27:31
|
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Adam-Morris-So-is-there.6017099.jp
Edinburgh News
Adam Morris: So is there any point in giving the swine flu jag to children?
Published Date: 27 January 2010
By Adam Morris
FOR many parents, it will be one of the biggest decisions they will take on their children's health this year. Letters are beginning to drop through the doors of thousands of families whose children are aged between six months and five years urging them to go for a swine flu vaccination.
It is an invitation which has left many puzzled as to what to do for the best.
With last year's swine flu scare having fizzled out so spectacularly – officials are now predicting 1,000, rather than 65,000, deaths, in the UK – and with no-one sure about the chances of the virus making a serious return, is there now a danger of overreacting?
Are the government and NHS, armed with a plan and a huge stockpile of vaccines, simply going through the motions?
Questions are also being raised about its safety. The campaign group Justice Awareness and Basic Support (JABS) is raising fears that the vaccine has been rushed into use without thorough testing.
Add to that anecdotal evidence of children being off-colour for up to 48 hours after their jag, the fact some children have only recently had MMR boosters and the suspicion of many parents that their children have already had, and shaken off, swine flu, the doubts understandably multiply.
The message from the government and NHS is clear: get your child vaccinated, the risks of not doing so are simply too great to ignore.
Public health officials are warning that the virus will inevitably return in some form next winter and that "those who develop complications or die will be doing so from a vaccine- preventable disease".
Microbiologist Dr Hugh Pennington, a leading swine flu expert from the University of Aberdeen, fully agrees.
"If my children were of that age I would certainly have them vaccinated," he says. "It has been tested and if there were any question marks over its safety, it simply wouldn't be used. Swine flu hasn't gone, it is still around. Yes it has gone down, but this vaccination will protect children.
"The only downside is a social one – taking children to get a needle in their arm. It (the virus] has affected children quite a lot and I would say the bonuses of this far outweigh the negatives."
The message, though, is clearly going unheeded by many members of the public. Initial take-up in Scotland amongst adults deemed to be in at-risk groups has been poor, with fewer than half of patients with asthma or other underlying health conditions accepting vaccinations.
The UK Government is also looking to off-load huge supplies of the vaccination to other countries or sell them back to drug companies after pulling back from suggestions of a universal vaccine.
The Scottish Government is clear on it's reasons for pressing ahead with the mass vaccination of young children. A disproportionate number of those hospitalised are pre-school children, who have no natural immunity to the infection.
Officials have been robust in their response, releasing a list of ten "myths" which have developed about the virus.
Among them is the idea that children are able to shake off the virus fairly easily, that the mercury contained in the vaccination is unsafe and that the jag itself contains a small dosage of the infection.
A Scottish Government spokesman says: "Unless a case of swine flu has been confirmed by a laboratory test, people cannot be certain that their child has had the disease, or that they will be protected if the virus mutates.
"Parents are therefore recommended to have their child vaccinated if the child is aged over six months and under five years."
As with anything involving a child's health, the decision on whether to get the jag or not is not straightforward. Many will be inclined to think that while a risk remains of another wave of what is undoubtedly a potential killer then "better safe, than sorry" is the best approach. Others will still harbour doubts.
Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teaching Council, says: "There are two things which are absolutely key. One is that it is made clear that this is very much down to parental choice, and secondly enough information is provided."
Dr Harry Burns is Scotland's chief medical officer: Vaccination is our best defence against the pandemic and I urge everyone invited for vaccination to take up the offer – particularly children under the age of five who are more likely to become seriously ill if they develop complications from swine flu.
All other children over the age of five years who get the seasonal flu vaccine because they are in a clinical risk group are also being offered vaccination. Fortunately, most people who have had H1N1 have only had mild symptoms but we know that, for some people, it can be fatal which is why it's important that we remain vigilant and maximise the number of people vaccinated.
Taking sensible precautions also helps protect against cold and flu viruses. This includes regular hand-washing and using a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Jackie Fletcher is a spokeswoman for the Justice Awareness and Basic Support (JABS) campaign group: "We are very concerned about the vaccination, and particularly the speed with which it went through. We don't think it could have been thoroughly tested in that time, and we are not comfortable with the one-size-fits-all approach, which doesn't take into account allergies or if the person getting the vaccine has already had some of the diseases included in it.
"Since the summertime we have been called by hundreds of parents wondering what's best to do. We don't want another thalidomide scandal on our hands in 20 years' time. I know that in other countries like Germany there is pressure from some members of parliament on the government to justify why they are doing this.
"The people pushing this all have something to gain, from the drugs companies to GPs administering it, as they are paid for every jag they administer."
Page 1 of 1
* Last Updated: 27 January 2010 9:33 AM
* Source: Edinburgh Evening News
* Location: Edinburgh
|
 |
|
|
Emerald
298 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2010 : 22:02:53
|
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8487589.stm
Inquiry in Widnes as children given adult swine flu jab
The trust said the children would not suffer long-term effects
An investigation is under way after 59 children were given adult doses of the swine flu vaccine by mistake.
The children, who were all aged under five, received the vaccine at a health centre in Widnes, Cheshire, on Tuesday.
Youngsters are supposed to receive a maximum dose of 0.25ml of Pandemrix, but were given double the amount.
Halton and St Helens Community Health Services NHS trust said none of the children were at "significant" risk and urged worried parents to contact them.
'Isolated incident'
The mistake emerged after some children visiting the town's Health Care Resource Centre began suffering side-effects.
"We are extremely sorry for the anxiety and concern this has caused and have been advised by clinical experts that no significant or long-term side effects will be caused," said a spokesperson.
"Swine flu vaccination side effects in children and adults are typified as some mild flu like symptoms, reddening of the injection site and a sore arm."
The trust is urging parents not to let the "isolated incident" put them off getting their children immunised.
It said the vaccine, when administered correctly, provided important protection against the virus.
"The safety of our patients is our first priority and we are taking the investigation extremely seriously," the spokesperson added.
"We would like to reassure patients and the public that this sort of incident is very rare and that every action is being taken to ensure it does not happen again."
|
|
|
|
Emerald
298 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2010 : 14:51:29
|
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1247535/Agony-doctors-receptionist-paralysed-swine-flu-jab.html
Agony of doctor's receptionist paralysed by swine flu jab
By Sophie Borland
Last updated at 2:12 AM on 01st February 2010
* Comments (13)
* Add to My Stories
A receptionist at a GP’s surgery has been left unable to walk properly after having the
swine flu jab.
Alison Dygnas, who as an NHS worker was advised to have the vaccination, also
experienced the paralysis in her face, had slurred speech and found eating difficult.
Doctors believe the jab triggered a rare condition affecting the nervous system known as myasthenia gravis.
Alison Dygnass with her horse
Alison Dygnas
Jab: Alison Dygnas led an active life before the vaccine, but now struggles to walk
When she had the vaccination in December, the mother of two said she felt ‘full of energy’.
Six weeks later she started feeling stabbing pains in her legs, which quickly intensified.
Almost overnight the condition spread to her face, paralysing one side and causing
her eyelids to become puffy and droopy.
She was taken to hospital as an emergency and doctors performed MRI scans to
provide detailed pictures of the muscles in her back and legs.
At first they were baffled, but then a neurologist diagnosed her with myasthenia gravis.
One specialist told her the condition was ‘almost certainly’ caused by the vaccine, but that it was a ‘one in a million’ case.
‘Doctors told me I had more chance of winning the lottery twice than contracting this illness,’ said Mrs Dygnas, 47.
‘I don’t feel any anger towards the Government for not warning about this condition. I have just been very unlucky.’
Mrs Dygnas, who owns a horse and used to walk her two dogs every day, has been forced to give up her job and spends most of her time at home.
The leg paralysis can be reduced by very strong tablets that can be taken up to 20
times a day.
However, the medication causes nausea and vomiting, and takes several weeks for the body to get used to it.
Mrs Dygnas takes five tablets a day and as a result she has regained some of the movement in her legs – enabling her to ‘shuffle’, rather than walk.
But the illness is made worse by extreme temperatures so she cannot have a hot bath or go on exotic holidays.
Her facial paralysis has almost gone and she can eat most foods, with the exception
of steak or other meals that require lots of chewing.
‘At the moment I am able to walk normally for a few hundred yards then I have to shuffle,’ she said.
‘I just take very small steps.
‘I can’t even wash my hair. I have to go to the hairdresser’s twice a week to have it shampooed and blow-dried.
‘The worst time is in the middle of the night when I get these stabbing pains in my legs and I can’t move them to make it go away. I also get pins and needles all over.’
Mrs Dygnas, who lives with her husband Maciek, 63, in Welshampton, Shropshire, is
optimistic about the future.
‘Hopefully once I get used to the medication I can increase my treatment to 20 tablets a day and then I’ll be able to walk further and return to work.’
Myasthenia gravis affects around one in 5,000 people. It is most common in women in
their late 40s, and both sexes between the age of 50 and 70.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1247535/Agony-doctors-receptionist-paralysed-swine-flu-jab.html#ixzz0eIQ2pii4
|
|
|
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2010 : 16:32:40
|
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/02/01/12701161.html
H1N1 flu shot sickness probed
Province looking into 17 cases
By SHARON LEM, Toronto Sun
Last Updated: 1st February 2010, 9:46pm
The provincial health ministry is investigating 17 cases in which people fell seriously ill after the receipt of the H1N1 flu vaccine.
Andrew Morrison, spokeman for the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, said the cases include four vaccine recipients who came down with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) — a rare neurological condition characterized by sudden weakness or parlysis. Another 13 people came down with anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction which can include symptoms of anaphylactic shock, rapid heartbeat, itchiness in the skin and difficulty breathing.
Donna Hartlen, a 39-year-old Markham mother, was diagnosed with GBS two weeks after receiving a shot of the vaccine.
She is partially paralyzed on the right side of her face. She is no longer able to properly chew food and her right eye is bandaged because she can no longer blink to protect it.
Don Gibson, 80, also of Markham and developed GBS, said he received the same batch of H1N1 flu vaccine two days before Hartlen from the same Markham doctor’s office. Gibson also blames the H1N1 vaccine for his GBS infection.
Morrison said there are measures in place to watch for severe allergic reactions following the administering of vaccines. Health Canada has pulled a batch of the swine flu vaccine — produced by GlaxoSmithKline Inc. — after it appeared that the batch may have caused higher rates of severe allergic reactions than other lots.
No one knows why GBS affects some people and not others.
|
|
|
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2010 : 17:12:53
|
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=4125143&cid=Latest_headlines_1_220210
Pulse
Government scraps swine flu vaccination campaign for under fives
22 Feb 10
By Ian Quinn
The Department of Health has revealed it is to scrap plans for healthy children under five to continue to be vaccinated against swine flu, just three months after urging GPs to vaccinate more than three million youngsters against the outbreak.
In a major U-Turn, the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, revealed the programme of vaccinating healthy children would wrap up at the end of next month, although GPs have been told to continue to try to vaccinate children until then.
Extending the vaccination campaign to children has proved a disappointment, with just 17% of children in England having had the vaccine according to the latest uptake figures.
GP leaders blamed protracted negotiations with the Government, which refused to provide concessions on GP workload via a national deal, for the lack of uptake in a campaign which ended up being launched as a hugely patchwork and bitter set of local arrangements between PCTs and GPs.
The move to scrap child vaccination against swine flu will also be seen as vindication by many GPs, with the majority of respondents to a Pulse poll in December claiming that it was a waste of NHS resources.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: ‘The programme was extended to young healthy children because more people in this age group were hospitalised.
‘We want to ensure that the NHS has the opportunity to complete this programme of work so that all children in this age group can have the vaccine if their parents and carers wish.
Click here to find out more!
‘Following advice from JCVI, and given the low levels of swine flu virus circulating, the risk from the virus is lower for young children than the clinical risk groups so we will not be extending that part of the programme beyond the end of March.’
It means GPs have an impossible task of vaccinating more than 2.5 million children in just over a month, with only 518,000 doses having been given to healthy children to date.
Dr Dean Marshall, a GPC negotiator on swine flu, said: ‘I believe the take up of the vaccine among children would have been much greater had we not wasted several weeks in negotiations with the Government which meant the campaign did not get under way until after Christmas, by which time fears over the illness had lessened.'
The Government also revealed that just 32% of all target groups had been vaccinated in England, which confirms Pulse's predictions that the vast majority of GPs will fail to receive reduced thresholds in this year's patient survey, after the GPC's national deal based on vaccination of at risk groups aged between 5-65.
Sir Liam revealed overall figures for vaccination take up were far worse in England than other parts of the UK and elsewhere in Europe, adding: ‘We continue to receive anecdotal accounts of people not being aware of their need and entitlement for vaccination or believing that vaccination clinics are unavailable.
It would be really helpful if you [GPs] were able to check whether awareness and access to the vaccine is high in your practice. That way we can ensure that this important protection is widely in place.’
Read the letter from Sir Liam Donaldson here: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_112691
|
|
|
|
Truth Seeker
United Kingdom
978 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2010 : 17:08:33
|
"Dr Dean Marshall, a GPC negotiator on swine flu, said: ‘I believe the take up of the vaccine among children would have been much greater had we not wasted several weeks in negotiations with the Government which meant the campaign did not get under way until after Christmas, by which time fears over the illness had lessened.'
Wow so Dr Marshall hoped to get higher uptake rates due to fear?
What an admission as we know it was not any hard actual medical Science that sold any swine flu vaccine that has never even been proven to work in the real world.
Vaccinations cause chronic diseases is as fully an accurate things to say as "smoking kills" warnings on cigarette packs. |
|
|
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 15:40:21
|
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/160103
Daily Express
£200M FOR SWINE FLU JABS WE WILL NEVER NEED
Story Image
Bureaucrats have spent £200million on doses of the swine flu jab that will never be used
Wednesday February 24,2010
By Victoria Fletcher
Comment Have your say(14)
BLUNDERING bureaucrats have spent £200million earmarked for hospital buildings on doses of the swine flu jab that will never be used.
Up to 132 million doses of the vaccine were ordered at the height of the panic over the H1N1 virus in 2009.
But earlier this month it emerged that only 13 million doses had been delivered and more than four million were used on patients – three per cent of the total.
Now it is feared the millions of doses still on order cannot be stopped because officials forgot to add a cancel clause to the contract.
Yesterday the Department of Health admitted it had raided the coffers for hospital buildings and equipment – called the capital budget – “to meet existing commitments on pandemic flu”. Officials insisted that no projects had been axed due to the diverted cash.
But last night Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said it was outrageous that such a simple mistake would cost the NHS and the taxpayer so much money. He said: “Because there was no break clause in the GlaxoSmithKline contract, hundreds of millions will be spent on a vaccine for which the government has no use.”
“Today it has been revealed that the Government will take £200million out of the capital budget to pay for this. Who in the Government is going to take responsibility for this gross mistake in procurement? Which NHS Capital project was cut to pay for this?”
Ministers have refused to say how much money it spent on the swine flu contract with pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline and Baxter. But other nations have spent up to £9 per dose. Just months after the order for 132 million vaccines was signed providing enough for two jabs per person, it emerged that only one dose was needed to provide protection and that 66 million doses would have been ample.
The swine flu pandemic began to slow in autumn last year, despite Government warnings just months before that up to 65,000 could die in a “worst case scenario”. In fact, only 309 people have died of swine flu and most had underlying health conditions. Only 53 were killed by swine flu alone.
Although 14 million people were advised they should get vaccinated, only 4.5 million have taken up the offer. A bid to vaccinate all under-fives has also failed, with only 500,000 out of three million children having the jab.
And earlier this month, the flu threat faded to such low levels that the Health Department decided to close the National Pandemic Flu Service hotline and website. Most flu experts believe that a second wave of the virus in the spring is also unlikely although a revival next winter could occur.
Last night, a Health Department spokesman said the vaccines had been an “insurance policy”. “We can categorically confirm that no capital projects were cut as a result of the transfer,” he said.
“Ordering a vaccine and antivirals, and communicating how people can protect themselves from the pandemic, has been a worthwhile insurance policy that has undoubtedly saved lives. Every life saved from swine flu is worthwhile.”
In recent weeks, Germany has successfully negotiated a cut in its order for swine flu jabs by 30 per cent. Other countries are still negotiating.
|
|
|
|
Govna
43 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2010 : 12:07:28
|
Reconstruction of a Mass Hysteria
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,682613,00.html
When Chan reached her decision, she knew that dozens of countries, including Great Britain, China and Japan, had warned against prematurely raising the warning phase to 6. Hong Kong's health minister had said: "The system of pandemic levels needs to be revised." Epidemiologist Mackenzie says, in retrospect: "We need to fine-tune phase 6 so that the severity of the disease is also taken into account." In May 2009, even the WHO itself considered amending the criteria in the way Mackenzie suggested, but then it changed its mind.
The warnings faded away. Why? Because regulations are simply regulations? Because health officials decided to err on the side of caution? One thing is clear, though. A party with strong connections in Geneva had a strong interest in phase 6 being declared as quickly as possible: the pharmaceutical industry.
"The pharmaceutical industry did not influence any of our decisions," says Fukuda. But in mid-May, about three weeks before the swine flu was declared a pandemic, 30 senior representatives of pharmaceutical companies met with WHO Director-General Chan and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at WHO headquarters. The official reason for the meeting was to discuss ways to ensure that developing countries would be provided with pandemic vaccine. But at this point in time the vaccine industry was mainly interested in one question: the decision to declare phase 6.
Everything hung on this decision. At stake was nothing less than a move to supply large segments of the world's population with flu vaccine. Phase 6 acted as a switch that would allow bells on the industry's cash registers to ring, risk-free. That's because many pandemic vaccine contracts had already been signed. Germany, for example, signed an agreement with the British firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in 2007 to buy its pandemic vaccine -- as soon as phase 6 was declared. This agreement could explain why Professor Roy Anderson, one key scientific advisor to the British government, declared the swine flu a pandemic on May 1. What he neglected to say was that GSK was paying him an annual salary of more than €130,000 ($177,000).
'All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident.' - Arthur Schopenhauer
|
|
|
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2010 : 17:25:50
|
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/167602/Swine-flu-Scandal-of-the-30m-jabs-the-NHS-will-never-use
Express
SWINE FLU: SCANDAL OF THE 30M JABS THE NHS WILL NEVER USE
7th April 2010
By Victoria Fletcher
MILLIONS of swine flu vaccines bought with taxpayers’ cash will never be used, the Government admitted yesterday.
Critics claim Labour was trying to bury bad news by admitting the costly blunder on the day the General Election was announced.
Ministers have desperately tried to slash their order for 90million doses after the pandemic failed to take hold.
But they were left stranded after failing to ensure a break clause was inserted in the contract with drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline.
The Department of Health admitted they had managed to claw back only a third of the money, despite cancelling more than half their order.
Around 30million doses of the vaccine will still be delivered to the UK on top of the five million doses already given to high-risk patients, pregnant women and children.
The Department said the rest of the money had been kept back by GSK to pay for vaccines against bird flu, despite the fact the virus has not yet mutated into a bug that can be transmitted between humans.
GSK has also kept money back to pay for packs of the antiviral flu drug Relenza, which can also be used to help fight flu.
The Conservatives last night condemned the scale of waste as appalling. Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “It is typical of Gordon Brown that his Government is seeking to bury bad news on this of all days. This is a careless waste of precious NHS money.
“Labour failed to ensure there were proper break clauses in the contracts which means that British taxpayers have got an extremely bad deal.”
Although financial details of the contract have remained under wraps, it is thought the jabs could cost up to £9 each.
This means that tens of millions of pounds of NHS money has been spent on jabs that are unlikely to be used. But Health Secretary Andy Burnham stoutly defended the deal. He said: “The UK will save one third of the value of the orders.
“It is good value for the taxpayer and means we have retained a strategic stockpile to protect the UK population without incurring a cancellation fee.
“This both protects the public purse and ensures the UK remains at the forefront of pandemic preparedness.
“The probability of a bird flu pandemic, likely to be more severe than swine flu, has not diminished.
“This agreement allows us to maintain our status as one of the most prepared countries in the world.”
|
|
|
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2010 : 15:17:26
|
http://yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/08/minister_calls_for_thorough_examination_of_possible_link_between_h1n1_and_narcolepsy_1912099.html
FINLAND
YLE.fi
News
Minister Calls for Thorough Examination of Possible Link Between H1N1 and Narcolepsy
published Wed 18 August 2010
Minister of Health and Social Services Paula Risikko says it is essential to thoroughly examine suspicions that increased outbreaks of child narcolepsy might be linked to the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.
However, the Minister said the swine flu vaccination programme would continue. In her view, Risikko thought it wise to examine any connection between narcolepsy and swine flu vaccine in other European countries.
The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is to determine if vaccine for the H1N1 swine flu could be linked to an increase in cases of narcolepsy among children.
The condition causes excessive daytime sleepiness even after adequate nocturnal sleep.
Although the THL’s Vaccine Department Director Terhi Kilpi does not fear any connection between the H1N1 jab and narcolepsy, she says doubts must be examined.
Experts on both vaccines and narcolepsy met on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
Doubts arose when a Finnish child neurologist noticed an increased level in the number of narcolepsy cases this year. Similar observations have been noticed in Sweden, reports the tabloid Iltalehti.
Medical officials in Sweden are also examining a possible link between the Pandemrix vaccine and narcolepsy, according to the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. The Swedish news agency TT reports six cases with a possible link to the vaccine.
A patient suffering from narcolepsy may suddenly fall asleep, for example, while, speaking or eating without prior warning. Their muscles may also suddenly weaken, causing them to suddenly collapse. There is no known cure for the disease.
Several Times Normal Rate of Cases
About a dozen Finnish children fell ill with narcolepsy during or after last winter's swine flu epidemic, far more than the average rate. The THL is trying to determine whether the cases may have been related to the H1N1 vaccine or to the flu itself.
The cases were diagnosed during the spring and early summer. Dr Markku Partinen, a docent in neurology at the University of Helsinki and former president of the World Association of Sleep Medicine, notes that the cases appear to have a chronological link to the H1N1 epidemic.
Doctors began to wonder when an unusually large number of cases of narcolepsy began to appear last spring.
“When it became clear that the symptoms began to appear in December, January and February, we began to consider a link to the swine flu epidemic,” says Partinen.
So far about 12-14 cases have been detected, all with symptoms that began between December and February, says Partinen. The patients are aged 5 to 15.
On average about three cases of the illness are diagnosed in Finland annually.
YLE
|
|
|
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2010 : 15:23:23
|
http://www.lakemedelsverket.se/english/All-news/NYHETER-2010/The-MPA-investigates-reports-of-narcolepsy-in-patients-vaccinated-with-Pandemrix/
SWEDEN
www.lakemedelsverket.se
The MPA investigates reports of narcolepsy in patients vaccinated with Pandemrix
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The MPA has received six reports from health care professionals regarding narcolepsy as suspected adverse drug reaction following Pandemrix flu vaccination. The Agency will, in consultation with external experts, assess the possible relationship between the vaccination and the reported reactions. The MPA is in contact with other EU member states to get information if there are any reports in other countries.
During summer 2010, the MPA has received in total six reports of narcolepsy, as an adverse reaction after Pandemrix vaccination. The reports concern children aged 12-16 years where symptoms compatible with narcolepsy, diagnosed after thorough medical investigation, have occurred one to two months after vaccination. Consumer reports describing similar symptoms have also been received.
At present there is not sufficient information to conclude if there is a relationship between the vaccination and the reported symptoms or not. For such a conclusion to be made, more detailed information on the reported cases, on any possible additional cases and on the background incidence of narcolepsy in Sweden is required. Consequently, the MPA has initiated an investigation of the issue in collaboration with national experts.
Within the EU, approximately 30 million individuals have received Pandemrix vaccination. In the European Safety Database (EudraVigilance) there is at present only one additional report of narcolepsy as suspected Pandemrix adverse reaction. The MPA is in contact with the other EU member states to increase the awareness of this possible late adverse reaction and to collect information on any additional reports. Swedish health care professionals are urged to report any suspected case as soon as possible.
Typical clinical symptoms of narcolepsy include: day-time sleep attacks, cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness), hypnagogic (pre-sleep) hallucinations and/or sleep paralysis (immobility of the body that occurs while waking up and sometimes while falling asleep).
Last updated/reviewed: 2010-08-18
|
|
|
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2010 : 15:36:34
|
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article7616170.ab
Swedish news reported in:
AFTONBLADET
Sjuka – av svinspruta
Caroline, 12, och Reidar, 5, drabbades av sömnsjuka – efter vaccineringen
Reidar, 5, somnade i en snödriva på dagis.
Caroline, 12, kollapsade och har inte gått i skolan på sex månader.
Båda tros vara offer för sömnsjuka efter svinsprutan.
– Vi vill bara ha hjälp. Men vi får ingen vård och ingen diagnos, säger Reidars mamma Helena Unée.
I december förra året, en vecka efter den andra vaccindosen mot svininfluensan, började sonen uppvisa de första symtomen.
– Han blev jättetrött, fick feber och utslag. I vintras somnade han i en snödriva när han lekte på dagis. Då kände jag att det hade gått för långt, säger Helena.
Sonen undersöktes för borrelia och cancer och fick träffa en neurolog. Men läkarna stod lika hjälplösa som familjen – även om de antydde att symtomen kunde bero på vaccineringen.
– Hela våren har varit en enda stor kamp. Det värsta är den här ovissheten, säger Helena.
”Var en glad pojke”
I dag har Lyckselefamiljen till sist fått en remiss till Drottning Silvias barnsjukhus i Göteborg – efter hårda påtryckningar.
– Reidar var en glad och nyfiken pojke. Nu är han blek och drar sig undan. Han frågar: Varför kan inte doktorn hjälpa mig, mamma?
Efter vaccineringarna har rapporter om sömnsjuka – narkolepsi – strömmat in till Läkemedelsverket.
Nu ska myndigheten utreda flera misstänkta fall. Lennart Waldenlind, chef för enheten för läkemedelssäkerhet, bekräftar att
Reidars är ett av dem.
– Vi kommer att undersöka eventuella samband. Vaccinet påverkar immunförsvaret och det finns en teori om att immunförsvaret spelar en roll vid uppkomsten av narkolepsi, säger han.
”Föll plötsigt ihop”
Caroline, 12, i Örebro vaccinerades i höstas. Två veckor senare föll hon plötsligt ihop.
– Hon var yr, hade svårt att andas och det var som hon hade nässelutslag. Vi åkte in akut men proverna visade inget, säger mamma Hanna Johannesson.
”Det var fruktansvärt”
Dotterns tillstånd blev snabbt värre med yrsel och sömnrubbningar och i december började läkarna leta efter tumörer. Men röntgenbilderna visade inga tecken på cancer.
I stället fick hon diagnosen narkolepsi, möjligen utlöst av vaccinet. Läkarna skrev ut ett amfetaminpreparat.
– Det var fruktansvärt. Hon blev väldigt aggressiv, vårt hem slogs sönder och hennes lillebror blev rädd, säger mamma Hanna.
Medicineringen avbröts. Men Caroline – som tvingats sluta skolan – kämpade även med muskelsvaghet och andra symtom kopplade till sömnsjukan.
– Hon kan inte skratta längre utan att falla i hop. Hon gråter, skäms och har inget hopp om livet, säger Hanna.
Tar det på allvar
Lennart Waldenlind känner inte till Carolines fall specifikt – men tar det på allvar:
– Vi hoppas att uppmärksamheten leder till att andra med liknande symtom kommer till vår kännedom. Det kan komma en andra våg av fall.
Esbjörn Sandin
|
|
|
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
|
|
Seonaid
United Kingdom
1361 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2010 : 18:34:52
|
| Amazing how they manage to side step every adverse event by saying 'there is currently no evidence to support this' - or that the event 'could be due to underlying conditions'. The fact that the drug company refused to take responsibility for any mishaps, speaks volumes. They were very aware that this vaccine was improperly tested - so - the government says - we will bear the brunt - and then we get 'there is currently no evidence to support this' and 'could be due to underlying conditions'. |
|
|
|
jabsadmin
1237 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2011 : 20:24:15
|
http://news.err.ee/661b5e31-0b8d-49c1-bc46-f942577909d9
Health Board Suspends Use of Pandemrix Vaccine
Published: 02.02.2011 15:07
Photo: AFP/Scanpix
The chief public health authority has suspended the use of the H1N1 flu vaccine Pandemrix, now believed to be related to cases of narcolepsy across Europe.
According to the State Agency of Medicines website, researchers now consider it probable that use of Pandemrix combined with some yet unidentified factors has caused a heightened incidence of narcolepsy in Finland.
In Estonia, use of Pandemrix has been less widespread than in other European countries, Maia Uusküla, drug safety director of the State Agency of Medicines, told ETV. According to her, there have been few reports of serious side effects. The two more serious cases have been allergy-related.
As of February 1, 10,300 people in Estonia had been vaccinated with Pandemrix. |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Swine Flu Outbreak
