Vaccine fight goes to Europe

Irish families have joined a European alliance formed to ratchet up the fight for adequate state support for the hundreds of children who developed a chronic sleep disorder after receiving a swine flu vaccine.

The alliance — of which Ireland, the UK, Sweden, Norway, and Finland are members — was formed in Stockholm last weekend where support groups and legal teams from the five countries met to discuss developing a common strategy.

More than 800 people, mainly children, developed narcolepsy across the five countries after receiving Pandemrix, the main vaccine used to combat swine flu.