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WHO To Investigate Swine Flu Vaccine Link To Narcolepsy

Four unconfirmed cases of narcolepsy following immunisation with GSK’s H1N1 vaccine Pandemrix have come to light in the UK. However the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that this is no more than it would expect to see by coincidence after vaccination.

The World Health Organization announced last week (8 February 2011) that further investigation into a possible link between narcolepsy and vaccination against influenza (H1N1) 2009 with Pandemrix and other pandemic H1N1 vaccines is warranted after 12 countries reported cases. Cases in Sweden, Finland and Iceland have been notably higher than in other countries, it added.

A retrospective review in Finland of all new narcolepsy cases diagnosed during found that those aged four to 19 years old who received Pandemrix were nine times more likely to develop narcolepsy than those who had not been vaccinated. This corresponds to a risk of about one case of narcolepsy per 12,000 vaccinated in this age group. The increased risk was not seen in younger or older age groups.

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Extract taken from PJ Online