Evidence of narcolepsy link to swine flu shot (2009 vaccine)

[No Elephants]

nsight: Evidence grows for narcolepsy link to GSK swine flu shot



By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent

STOCKHOLM | Tue Jan 22, 2013 3:03am EST

(Reuters) - Emelie is plagued by hallucinations and nightmares. When she wakes up, she's often paralyzed, unable to breathe properly or call for help. During the day she can barely stay awake, and often misses school or having fun with friends. She is only 14, but at times she has wondered if her life is worth living.

Emelie is one of around 800 children in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe who developed narcolepsy, an incurable sleep disorder, after being immunized with the Pandemrix H1N1 swine flu vaccine made by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline in 2009.

Finland, Norway, Ireland and France have seen spikes in narcolepsy cases, too, and people familiar with the results of a soon-to-be-published study in Britain have told Reuters it will show a similar pattern in children there.

Their fate, coping with an illness that all but destroys normal life, is developing into what the health official who coordinated Sweden's vaccination campaign calls a "medical tragedy" that will demand rising scientific and medical attention.

Europe's drugs regulator has ruled Pandemrix should no longer be used in people aged under 20. The chief medical officer at GSK's vaccines division, Norman Begg, says his firm views the issue extremely seriously and is "absolutely committed to getting to the bottom of this", but adds there is not yet enough data or evidence to suggest a causal link.

Others - including Emmanuel Mignot, one of the world's leading experts on narcolepsy, who is being funded by GSK to investigate further - agree more research is needed but say the evidence is already clearly pointing in one direction.

"There's no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Pandemrix increased the occurrence of narcolepsy onset in children in some countries - and probably in most countries," says Mignot, a specialist in the sleep disorder at Stanford University in the United States.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/22/us-narcolepsy-vaccine-pandemrix-idUSBRE90L07H20130122

[Enthusiast]

1. This is truly frightening.

Especially considering the relaxed standards in the U.S.

[No Elephants]

3. I don't get the flu shot. I am very careful, though.

My body seems to be extraordinary at healing from illnesses that occur naturally, but very poor at tolerating chemicals.

I'd put my money on my surviving the flu over surviving bad vaccine. But, that is only me.

However, as I said, I am very careful during flu season.

I try to steer clear of anyone who looks ill; I do a lot of hand washing and I prepare my own food as much as humanly possible.

[formercia]

2. I bet a lot more cases will show up

When I used to travel, many destinations required immunization for things like Yellow Fever, Bubonic Plague, Rabies and others. I used to hate those shots because of the side effects.