2009 Flu Shot Reactions in Canada
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November 19, 2009 at 7:25 pm
This just came in the news today, so I’m posting it for your information:
–D.U.Officials investigating one lot of flu vaccine due to allergy concerns
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By Steve Lambert, The Canadian PressADVERTISEMENT
The provinces are being asked to hold back a batch of swine flu vaccine that appears to be causing higher rates of severe allergic reactions.
The vaccine’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, has asked governments to stop using vaccine doses from one particular lot shipment (A80CA007A) issued in late October while the company and federal health officials investigate.
“GSK is taking this cautionary action because the Public Health Agency of Canada has received a higher than expected number of reports of anaphylaxis in this lot number compared to other lots,” the company said in a written statement Thursday.
Manitoba health officials say they have noticed severe allergic reactions from that lot at a rate of one in 20,000, compared with the standard reaction rate of one in 100,000.
“We received this vaccine some time ago, as did all other provinces, and we have used almost all of this vaccine already,” Dr. Joel Kettner, Manitoba’s chief medical officer of health said.
“We are being cautious and following the advice … to hold onto the remaining stock until we get further information.”
The Alberta government was also holding back the vaccine, although it had not seen a jump in reactions.
“We reviewed our own data and we didn’t have any of that experience here … so at this point, we’re just following the instructions from the company and the public health agency,” said chief medical health officer Andre Corriveau.
“We hadn’t seen any severe allergic reactions from that lot ourselves … there were cases in B.C. and Quebec, I believe.”
Because most of the vaccine in question has already been used, the decision to withhold what’s left is not expected to have an impact on overall supplies.
Kettner urged people not to be alarmed. Any severe reactions from the lot have been short-lived and have not led to long-term health troubles, he said.
“The ongoing question for people considering getting vaccinated is comparing the potential benefit of the vaccine … with the risk, which remains very low from our observations,” he said.
“Our advice, based on information in Manitoba and from other provinces, is unchanged.”
-With files from Shannon Montgomery in Calgary
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November 20, 2009 at 1:45 am
[FONT=”Comic Sans MS”]”Kettner urged people not to be alarmed. Any severe reactions from the lot have been short-lived and have not led to long-term health troubles, he said.” Short-lived…………………and what is [I]his[/I] diffinition of Long-Term health troubles? How can they take this so lightly?[SIZE=”4″]”[/SIZE][/FONT]
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November 23, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Hi all,
The following is an update on this story.
Compare these statements with the info we have because of our GBS/CIDP; and notice the predictable ‘damage-control’. :rolleyes:
–D.U.
—————————————————————–Canada stops use of one batch of flu vaccine
Mon Nov 23, 12:55 PMWINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – Some Canadian provinces have stopped using a particular batch of the H1N1 flu vaccine after six people experienced severe allergic reactions, the country’s health agency said on Monday.
The Public Health Agency of Canada and vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline Plc have asked the governments of Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Prince Edward Island — nearly half the country’s 13 provinces and territories — to stop using a batch of 172,000 doses.
Six allergic reactions from that size of a batch is a higher percentage than usual, said a spokeswoman for the Public Health Agency. Overall, the number of severe allergic reactions following H1N1 vaccinations is less than 1 per 100,000 doses, the norm for other vaccines.
All six people who experienced the allergic reactions have recovered, the spokeswoman said.
Manitoba received 63,000 doses of the vaccine batch and has only 930 left, a spokeswoman for the provincial health department said. Health officials have now placed all the remaining doses in storage.
People who were vaccinated from that batch have no reason for concern if they did not suffer an immediate allergic reaction, she said.
(Reporting by Rod Nickel; editing by Rob Wilson)
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November 24, 2009 at 1:42 pm
This was posted in the Vancouver Sun today…
GENEVA — An unusual number of severe allergic reactions to swine flu vaccinations have been recorded in Canada, where a batch of the vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been recalled, the WHO said on Tuesday.
“An unusual number of severe allergies to the vaccine have been detected in Canada,” World Health Organization spokesman Thomas Abraham told AFP.
“The Canadian authorities are conducting the appropriate investigations on the vaccines” and “recalled a batch of vaccine from GSK.”
“We need to understand what happened in Canada,” he added.
[COLOR=”DarkSlateBlue”][B]GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Gwenan White told AFP that the affected doses of its Aprepanrix vaccine had caused reactions to the heart and lungs.[/B][/COLOR]
Ms. White added that some 172,000 doses are involved, although she declined to reveal how many of those had already been used.
GlaxoSmithKline has asked Canadian medical authorities to stop administering vaccines from the affected batch, Ms. White said, adding the company’s investigations were ongoing.
WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham said that the WHO had not changed its recommendations regarding swine flu vaccines.
Last week, the WHO said checks on many of the 30 deaths recorded following mass pandemic flu vaccinations had so far ruled out a direct link to the vaccines.
The fatalities made up a minute fraction of at least 65 million doses of swine flu vaccines which have been administered, said the WHO, citing data from 16 countries.
[B]For every 10,000 doses of vaccines administered, only one report of adverse effect had been logged.[/B]
Of every 100 reports of adverse effects, five are serious cases such as death, the WHO said. -
December 1, 2009 at 12:04 am
Thanks Rhonda; when I read these statements from the Press, I am certain that the real truth of the matter is mainly undisclosed to the public.
In addition to the undiagnosed cases which are not being reported, the diagnosed cases are being minimized or trivialized as to cause and effect.
We who deal with this damage know what really happens at the time of onset, and in the months and years that follow. -
December 1, 2009 at 1:10 am
These are allergic reactions–not autoimmune or GBS reactions. If someone has an allergic reaction like this, it happens soon after getting the shot.
The vaccine made for Canada is different than the one made for the United States in that the one for Canada has an “adjuvant” which means an additive to increase the immune response to the vaccine–to make the immune reaction stronger so that, hopefully, the protection to the flu works better.
Only one batch has had an increased incidence of allergic reactions. A lot of different batches have been used.
I am not minimizing that no one wants any reactions to happen, but do just want to gently say that they are really talking about short term, non fatal reactions in this case–not what many of us have faced. This is a very different immune reaction being discussed with an very different mechanism of action.
WithHope
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December 4, 2009 at 10:16 am
We have not heard directly from those who were affected. What condition are they in now? The health report is very brief and only mentions concerns about life-threatening anaphylaxis following the vaccinations. It doesn’t go into details about what else is now happening with these people.
I know that in my case, and in many others here, there was a period of severe difficulty in breathing as the muscles of the chest became paralyzed. We were fortunate enough to have lived past this stage, but experienced the rest of the damage as well, as it took it’s course in the days, weeks and months which followed.
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June 15, 2011 at 1:20 am
On November 17th, 2009, I was given a second dose of the adjuvenated H1N1 vaccine in error. My job as a health care worker encouraged vaccination in the light of the anticipated swine flu pandemic. I could have declined, but felt that I did not want be responsible for compromising the heath of those in my care.
On October 29th, 2009, I attended the vaccination clinic site and received the first dose of adjuvenated vaccine. Then on November 17th, I returned for the seasonal flu shot. I presented my form and told the administering nurse that I had received the H1N1 shot earlier and needed the seasonal flu shot this visit.
in error, she administered the H1N1 adjuvenated vaccine. She recognized her error immediately and called for the supervisor who reviewed the situation and commenced a written report of the incident.
I asked her about any consequences that might follow and her reply was that in her opnion, I would only be “doubly protected” and that I should not worry.In January of 2010, I began to experience numbness, tingling and stiffness in my hands and feet, symptoms which continue to this present day. Accompanying these symptoms, is a sensation that my feet are “wet”‘. As they are not wet, this has been explained as a form of neuropathy
I have been under the care of my GP, a rheumatologist, a neurologist, and have rum the gambit of testing from different blood tests to CatScan, Xray, and MRI. I have provided my GP with information supplied by the Foundation for CIDP and he has ordered a new round of testingI would be interested in learning of instances where multiple doses of adjuvenated swine flu vaccine have been received and the side effects of same if any. I have reported the history and path of this event to Interior Health of BC as well as to the Foundation and am in touch with Sherry Nedjedly of the GBS/CIDP Foundation International.
A subsequent appointment with the neurologist has been booked for June 28th, and I am continuing with Gabapentin and Allopurinol treatment which are helpful in keeping me working and able to tolerate the continuing symptoms.Thank you all for your contributions to this forum.
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June 15, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Terry I sent you a PM
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