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Top doctor says very few adverse reactions to H1N1 vaccine
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OTTAWA — The country's chief public health officer says few Canadians have suffered serious side effects from the swine-flu shot.
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Dr. David Butler-Jones says that of the 6.5 million people who have received the H1N1 vaccine, only 36 have had serious adverse reactions.4 i1 H" Q. D7 a8 }4 b8 y" q
; k9 H( l! A3 {- P9 N"With any vaccination campaign, we expect to see some cases of serious adverse events," he said. "They are very rare, but they are part of all mass-vaccination campaigns and we expect to see a small number of them."
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More serious reactions can include life-threatening illnesses, hospitalizations, disabilities or deaths.
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. G) R# U) C, p% iOne person is believed to have died from a serious reaction to the vaccine, Butler-Jones said, but the death hasn't yet been conclusively linked to the flu shot. He said it's possible the elderly person who died suffered from an underlying condition.
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; c& W! f1 {; l9 q+ a( qAll the serious side effects came after shots of the adjuvanted vaccine, which contains a compound to boost the vaccine's potency. Butler-Jones said that's likely because the vast majority of people being vaccinated are getting the adjuvanted vaccine.
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A version of the vaccine without the booster is being held for pregnant women.; I8 h5 n9 K3 P6 _" U4 q6 P |2 w
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Butler-Jones said the serious side effects from the H1N1 shot fall into two categories: allergic reactions, or fevers and convulsions.; Q! Z$ [& P, j4 R: W# j! Q0 P( |7 v
- G( o$ M, E8 o0 f1 f6 AMild effects, such as nausea, soreness, headaches and fever, are far more common reactions to the swine-flu shot - just as they are for all vaccines.
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The federal government says it will list adverse reactions to the H1N1 vaccine on its www.fightflu.ca website.* y" I( R& i' i7 ~) e
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So far, 198 people have died of swine flu. By comparison, seasonal flu kills between 4,000 to 8,000 Canadians each year. |
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