H1N1 vaccine study investigating hints of complications from vaccine

[Celebration]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/23/AR2010042304965.html

Federal health officials are investigating the first hints of any possible significant complications from the H1N1 vaccine, but stressed that the concerns will probably turn out to be a false alarm.

The latest analysis of data has detected what could be a somewhat elevated rate of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis and death; Bell's palsy, a temporary facial paralysis; and thrombocytopenia, which is a low level of blood platelets, officials reported Friday. The data is being collected through five of the networks the government is using to monitor people who were inoculated against the swine flu.

Officials stressed that it is far too early to know whether the vaccine was increasing the risk of those conditions or whether there is some other explanation, such as doctors identifying more cases because of the intensive effort to pinpoint any safety problems with the vaccine.

Based on the preliminary report, the Health and Human Services Department's National Vaccine Advisory Committee, which has been charged with monitoring the vaccine's safety, voted unanimously to follow up on the findings. "We're at the first step of determining whether there is a problem," Guthrie S. Birkhead, who chairs the committee, said during a teleconference in which a subcommittee of experts presented its latest findings on the data. "There's a lot more work to determine whether there is."

[havocmom]

1. oh

:popcorn:

[stray cat]

2. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a complication of influenza as well

its always a case of balancing the risk of infection and the consequences and the risk of a vaccine - in most cases it strongly favors the vaccine. Having had H1N1 and getting the vaccine later - I definitely preferred the vaccine!

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. They assured us it was safe.

We pointed out it was untested.
They said not to worry, low risk, blah blah.
Some of us refused to get the shots and were laughed at.

Now the results of the human experiment are coming in.

Of course, "There's a lot more work to determine whether there is." a problem.
Translation: We will let a few more years go by before the results leak out.

[trotsky]

4. ZOMG!! THE GUBMINT IS KILLING US ALL!!!!!!11!1eleventy~!!1