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News

So apparently the swine flu vaccination (pandemrix) is now being linked to the diagnosis of narcolepsy in children vaccinated

57 replies

BarbieLovesKen · 22/09/2011 22:09

Am I a bit slow with this news? I'm watching the news so upset.

OP posts:

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BoysAreLikeDogs · 22/09/2011 22:10

do you have a link?

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BubbleBobble · 22/09/2011 22:15

I saw this thread and went off to the BBC website - there is a story on there from July this year about it - www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14239823

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BarbieLovesKen · 22/09/2011 22:17

July? Sorry I'm in Ireland and we're a bit behind here obviously - it's just been announced on the news...

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CardyMow · 23/09/2011 00:22

EXCUSE ME??!! Can someone link me please? And would it affect a baby if you had the jab while you were pregnant? . I had the jab because I had swine flu when it first happened, GP said by the time I was pg last winter that SF had mutated so I would need the jab, as I nearly died from SF complications first time round. Now worrying that it might affect DS3.

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CardyMow · 23/09/2011 00:24

Read that BBC thread - no info on effects on a fetus though.

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LeBOF · 23/09/2011 00:25

Really? Bargain.

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Whatmeworry · 23/09/2011 08:22

Sigh....what % of children are linked.

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bumbleymummy · 23/09/2011 08:49

I know, the information started to come out before the summer iirc. I think it is now only recommended for over-20s.

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bumbleymummy · 23/09/2011 08:54

Link here

The European Medicine Agency recommended it is restricted.

"The EMA was satisfied, after reviewing studies completed, that there is an increased risk of narcolepsy in those under the age of 20. The results indicate a six to 13-fold increased risk of narcolepsy in those vaccinated in Sweden and Finland as compared with unvaccinated children and adolescents, corresponding to about three to seven additional cases in every 100,000 vaccinated subjects."

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Thumbwitch · 23/09/2011 08:56

WHO statement

reprint of BMJ article

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iarebaboon · 23/09/2011 08:57

Where do I sign up?

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bumbleymummy · 23/09/2011 09:00

I think the one I linked to is based on the review of the EMA that the WHO link mentions near the bottom being expected in July 2011. So obviously they felt there was enough evidence to warrant restricting its use.

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eaglewings · 23/09/2011 09:05

One in 12000 children who had the vaccine are affected according to WHO so a small but significant risk

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bruffin · 23/09/2011 09:06

what is missing from this is that there the swedes and fins have a genetic tendency to narcoplexy there has also been a rise in unvaccinated cases of narcoplexy

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Whatmeworry · 23/09/2011 09:09

One in 12000 children who had the vaccine are affected according to WHO so a small but significant risk

Death rate from flu is about 1 in 100 to 300 iirc.

Seems like a small loss on the roundabouts fior a big gain on the swings to me....fairly typical of all vaccines

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pink4ever · 23/09/2011 09:09

I hadnt heard of this story before? Cant be that serious or aurely it would have got more news coverage? I didnt give my dcs the swine flu vaccine anyway as didnt have any of the underlying health conditions.

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Whatmeworry · 23/09/2011 09:09

Sorry 1 in 1000 to 3000

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Thumbwitch · 23/09/2011 09:13

The FInland figures appear to be linked with a certain genotype that is linked to narcolepsy anyway - suggestion is that the Pandemrix may have triggered the condition in the genetically susceptible. However, just because you have the relevant genotype, doesn't mean that you are 100% guaranteed to get the condition - but the Pandemrix appears to cause the trigger.

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BedHog · 23/09/2011 09:17

I remember hearing about this possible link in early 2010, so it's not new but maybe they've done more research since then. It was only a small 1 paragraph article buried deep inside a newspaper, so not big news at the time, but I remember feeling quite relieved that my GP had run out of vaccine by the time I tried to book in DS, so he hadn't had it.

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Sirzy · 23/09/2011 09:19

Balanced risk says I will carry on giving ds flu jabs/swine flu jabs as recommended for him!

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EdithWeston · 23/09/2011 09:32

The single swine flu jab won't be on offer this year - it was only done singly in the year it emerged, and then only because of the rapid spread and atypical timing out of usual flu seasons.

As for last year, it is a component of the seasonal flu jab as experts expect it will be one of the main strains circulating this season. The seasonal flu jab will be available on NHS to the same categories of at risk patients as last year.

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lesley33 · 23/09/2011 09:41

But if you are in an at risk group or your DC are, then you should be vaccinated. The risks of serious health problems or death amongst at risk groups are much higher and more common than the risk of narcolepsy.

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wannaBe · 23/09/2011 09:55

but that presumably doesn't help those children who were vaccinated in the panic of the pandemic and who might have been affected.

Of course everyone needs to weigh up the assumed risks for themselves, but I remember thread after thread on here where posters were absolutely slated for daring to suggest that any long-term effects of the vaccine were as yet unknown and they felt uncomfortable exposing their children to an unknown and at that point as yet fairly untested vaccine.

For the WHO to suggest that the vaccine should now only be used for over 20s it is clearly not considered to be an insignifficant risk.

The media have a huge part to play here. As soon as swine flu emerged the media had everyone worked up into a frenzy about a vaccine and about how vital it was for all children to be offered it, etc. As result many people blindly followed and because of fear took up the vaccine. Reality is that the death rate from Swine flu was far lower than the media had hoped, and in fact the vaccination programme, which had clearly been rolled out far too quickly may have caused more damage than the flu itself.

If you're in an at risk category then of course it's always hard to weigh up the risks of the illness against the risks of the vaccine. But if you're not in a high risk category then the risks are tiny.

Perhaps we need to start thinking before just blindly being panicked into vaccination programmes that are clearly designed to placate the media as much as anything else...

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pedalpants · 23/09/2011 10:08

DS (now 3) had this vaccine in early 2010 and came down with narcolepsy type symptoms shortly afterwards.

after various appointments (which we had to fight to get) it now seems that it is unlikely that his illness is narcolepsy, but is instead is some sort of genetic/neurological issue.

narcolepsy is a horrible illness and the prognosis for people with it is not good in terms of them being able to live a normal life.

If anything further comes out about it linking the vaccine to what my son has I will sue their ass off.

neither of my children are being vaccinated for anything ever again.

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mummysleepy · 23/09/2011 10:12

Under 5s ARE an at risk group.
Hospitals were full of under5s in intensive care , and the risk to pregnant women was fairly clear. I had swine flu jab when pregnant and so did my toddler. I know 2 people that died of swine flu and I would do the sane again if required. Vaccinations always carry risks but generally it is less risk than the disease it is preventing