H1N1 Vaccine : Observe for signs Guillian Barre Diesease

[MikeyBSN]

health officials have warned doctors of possible similarities between the new swine flu vaccine and a jab linked to 25 deaths in america in the 1970s.

the government’s health protection agency (hpa), said in a letter to neurologists that they needed to look out for increases in cases of a brain disorder that might follow the launch of the immunization programe.

the letter has been sent because of concerns sparked by studying of the swine flu vaccination campaign in america.

in 1976, washington rushed in a mass immunization programe against a swine flu outbreak that was confined to a single military base.

several hundred cases of a rare, lethal, paralyzing neurological disease called guillain-barré syndrome (gbs) were reported afterward, and although no clear link was ever found to the vaccine, the incident made many people mistrustful of immunizations.

although the swine flu virus vaccine now close to completion is different from the one used in 1976, the hpa said the earlier incident nevertheless highlighted a possible area of concern.

“the vaccines used to combat an expected swine influenza pandemic in 1976 were shown to be associated with gbs and were withdrawn from use,” professor elizabeth miller, head of the hpa’s immunization department, wrote in the letter sent last month to neurologists.

“gbs has been identified as a condition needing enhanced surveillance when the swine flu vaccines are rolled out.”

the department of health said: “appropriate trials to assess safety and immune responses have been carried out on vaccines very similar to the swine flu vaccine. the vaccines have been shown to have a good safety profile.”

the world health organization has also said recently that the public should be “reassured” about the safety of the new vaccine. it acknowledged that “genuine adverse events directly caused by the vaccine may also occur, but cannot be predicted in advance”.

the nhs will monitor any possible risks from the vaccine, including a possible connection with gbs.

glaxosmithkline is developing the vaccine in germany for an immunization programe due to start in october.

some 9.4m people in england will receive the vaccine if they fall into priority groups, alongside 2.1m front line health and social care workers. in scotland 1.4m people in either at-risk groups or working in health and social care will get the jab.

priority will be given to those aged six months to 65 years in high-risk groups – including those with asthma, diabetes, heart disease, renal disease or with a compromised immune system.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

[color=#2200cc]cdc - seasonal influenza (flu) - q & a: seasonal flu and guillain ...

what is gbs?

guillain-barré (pronounced ghee-yan bah-ray) syndrome is a disease in which the body damages its own nerve cells (outside of the brain and spinal cord), resulting in muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. gbs can last for weeks to months. most people eventually recover completely or nearly completely, but some people have permanent nerve damage and between 5% and 6% of people who develop gbs die. gbs affects people of both sexes and all ages, and has been reported in all races.

what causes gbs?

it is thought that gbs may be triggered by an infection. the infection that most commonly precedes gbs is caused by a bacterium called campylobacter jejuni. other respiratory or intestinal illnesses and other triggers may also precede an episode of gbs. in 1976, vaccination with the swine flu vaccine was associated with getting gbs. several studies have been done to evaluate if other flu vaccines since 1976 were associated with gbs. only one of the studies showed an association. that study suggested that one person out of 1 million vaccinated persons may be at risk of gbs associated with the vaccine.