Swine flu vaccine linked to narcolepsy

THE number of children to develop the debilitating sleep disorder, narcolepsy, on foot of being immunised against swine flu officially stands at 16, and is continuing to rise.

Unofficially, the figure is at least 22, according to SOUND (Sufferers of Unique Narcolepsy Disorder), a support group for parents of children who developed narcolepsy after receiving Pandemrix, a vaccine not now recommended for use in persons under 20.

Mairéad Lawless, a member of SOUND whose six-year-old son Alex developed the disorder after the vaccination, said many of the children also suffer from cataplexy, a sudden loss of muscle tone ranging from slackness of facial muscles to total collapse.

SOUND will hold its official launch next Saturday at Bewley’s Newlands Cross, Dublin, at 2.30pm.

Yesterday, the Irish Medicines Board said it had received 16 reports with clinical information “which confirms a diagnosis of narcolepsy in individuals who were vaccinated with Pandemrix” and that it was aware there may be other cases awaiting formal diagnosis.

Scandinavian countries have already reported a possible link between the use of Pandemrix and the onset of narcolepsy in young people.

Sweden’s Medical Products Agency concluded that those under 20 who are vaccinated with Pandemrix may be four times as likely to develop narcolepsy than those who were not.

HSE clinics and GPs administered over 900,000 doses of Pandemrix during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009/2010.

The HSE said it is conducting its own study of all cases of narcolepsy in Ireland over the time period and is in contact with families of reported cases, seeking to put the appropriate services in place for them.

Vaccine manufacturer Glaxosmithkline was indemnified by the state against any future liability.

Ms Lawless said she is taking legal advice.

* For more information on SOUND, contact [e-mail]