Waking up to reality

Claire O’Neill can sleep for 10 days at a time. Could a flu jab be the culprit, asks Claire Droney

CLAIRE O’NEILL, 17, will be on a camper-van holiday with her parents this weekend, driving from their home in Bray down the east coast. Her dad mock-groans at the thought of clothes shopping with her, but he is delighted. Time with his daughter is precious. Claire can become disorientated, falling asleep for up to ten days.

Claire is a member of sufferers of unique narcolepsy disorder (SOUND), a group established by parents who say their children developed narcolepsy as a result of the Pandemrix swine-flu vaccine. Recently, the Department of Health confirmed a link between Pandemrix and narcolepsy in children aged 5-18 years.