Severe Reactions To Swine Flu Vaccine In Canada: Who

[Crowsnest]

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/swi...html?id=2259971

 

 

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.

 

GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Gwenan White told AFP that the affected doses of its Aprepanrix vaccine had caused reactions to the heart and lungs.

 

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.

 

For every 10,000 doses of vaccines administered, only one report of adverse effect had been logged.

 

Of every 100 reports of adverse effects, five are serious cases such as death, the WHO said.

 

 

[reevesr1]

Had it yesterday. Other than a bit of a sore arm, not reaction at all.

 

[Christofficer]

I had h1n1 already, confirmed last spring. Over hyped. I have a blood disorder too that puts me in danger of flu viruses, I'm 90% sure this is just a wasted effort and they should have took more time to prepare incase a mutation occured, like what's supposedly happening in ukraine. That strain is alot worse than this one that's floating around.

[reevesr1]

I had h1n1 already, confirmed last spring. Over hyped. I have a blood disorder too that puts me in danger of flu viruses, I'm 90% sure this is just a wasted effort and they should have took more time to prepare incase a mutation occured, like what's supposedly happening in ukraine. That strain is alot worse than this one that's floating around.

Overrated? Not so sure. Sun was sick for what? Two weeks? Flu then pneumonia. While maybe not life threatening for him, I'd rather skip it if I have the choice.

 

[ÜberFly]

Agreed! Plus we have all already paid for it with our tax $'s so I might as well use something I've already paid for!!

 

P

 

I'd rather skip it if I have the choice.

[Ricinus]

I think the fear was H1N1 reaching pandemic levels and overwhelming the health care systems. Got my shot 12 days ago- told them I was a hockey player- headache for a day and a sore arm for a couple. I would hate to get H1N1 and give it to someone else and they have a bad reaction.

 

Regards Mike

[Christofficer]

Good points, I guess I would have gotten mine too right now had I not had it before. I'd feel bad if I passed it to someone who would have a bad reaction to it as well.

[Avalanche]

Long story but my wife's sister was having lunch with the head of the WHO. He said himself the H1N1 scare was blown way out of proportion. Other flu viruses have killed more people than H1N1 has. Not to try to diminish the severity of the bug. It's just not as serious as everyone was led to believe. It'll make you sick; might even kill you. So will most other flu viruses out there, given the right conditions.

 

 

 

 

[canadensis]

Long story but my wife's sister was having lunch with the head of the WHO. He said himself the H1N1 scare was blown way out of proportion. Other flu viruses have killed more people than H1N1 has. Not to try to diminish the severity of the bug. It's just not as serious as everyone was led to believe. It'll make you sick; might even kill you. So will most other flu viruses out there, given the right conditions.

 

The difference is the demographic that this flu has the potential to kill.

 

Once you are over 70ish no matter how you die it should be deemed "natural causes"

[Crowsnest]

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/links/...html?id=2174989

 

 

 

Stop fanning the flames of hysteria

 

National Post Published: Tuesday, November 03, 2009

 

 

Re: Clinics Cancelled Next Week, Oct. 31.

 

I am concerned that the World Health Organization (WHO) and public health leaders are grossly exaggerating the risks of contracting H1N1 influenza.

 

Flu mainly spreads in the winter, so it is instructive to examine flu infection and death rates in South America, where winter has just passed. In Brazil, with a population of 192 million, 5,206 cases of H1N1 and 557 deaths from it were confirmed in the winter of 2009, or one death for every 345,000 people. These exceedingly low infection and death rates occurred before an H1N1 vaccine was available. To put this in perspective, regular seasonal flu kills about 64,000 people per year in the United States, or one death for every 4,800 people.

 

Thus the rate of H1N1 deaths in Brazil was 98.6% lower than the death rate from seasonal flu in the United States. This suggests we have less to fear from H1N1 flu than we do from regular seasonal flu. Yet, the WHO and public health officials proclaim that we are in the midst an H1N1 pandemic. These irrational proclamations fan the flames of mass hysteria, needlessly spooking the population and forcing governments around the world to spend billions of dollars that could be better spent elsewhere in the health-care system.

 

Instead of precipitating panic about a phantom pandemic, the WHO and public health officials should be reassuring the population that they have less to fear from H1N1 than they do from the usual seasonal flu.

 

Dr. Douglas Bradley, Toronto.

 

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/related/links/...9#ixzz0XsnQ5AFl