Swine flu

[Steve]

As an update on this.. My Doctors finally called me in to have a Swine Flu jab. I am amazed it took until Feb 2010 to do that, I should be in the first batch called forward and in my area that seems to be so..

I had it done anyway as I always have the flu jab each year, and have even had one for pneumonia.

After all the hype about this Swine Flu jab being like the normal flu jab I can confirm that for me it was nothing of the sort.

The flu jab is something I hardly notice or think about each year.

Later in the day after getting the Swine Flu jab my arm was hurting quite a lot. It continued to do that for 4 days.

Much worse though was what started happening the morning after the jab. I started to spend all my time on the toilet, and everything was liquid. I was back there every half hour or so all day. In the evening it was lucky the sink was next to the toilet as I was also vomiting.

It is now 4 days since the jab and I feel fairly well again now.. but effects are still with me.

One of the crazy things about this effect and someone like me who has underlying health problems is that I depend on pills to keep those in check. This reaction has stopped the pills working of course, so I've also had lots of other effects like a racing heart etc.

I wondered if it was just me or some bug or whatever.. but a good search of discussion areas brought up others describing getting exactly the same reactions.

I'm not trying to put anyone off getting this done, I chose to have it done after all.. and it could be a life saver down the line. It is a personal decision at the end of the day.

I find it amazing that the media seems to report only a few million people in the UK have had the jab.. but that we bought something like 120 million of them.. even though we have nothing like that number of people.

If the few million people number is true and this flu comes back with a vengeance later in 2010 I wonder what will be said then.. either this vaccine is a good thing or it isn't and the lack of official word seems a little odd/wrong.

Steve

[Bob]

Blanka had the jab (she's a nurse) and immediately was sufficiently unwell that she couldn't work...

I haven't had the jab and haven't had flu (touches wooden boolkcase firmly)...

Bob

[Steve]

Bob,

The Mail had a story about a worker at a GP office the other day...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...e-flu-jab.html

It would probably be better if we were being given a fuller picture and not just hearing of the problems.

Steve

[Iain]

It would probably be better if we were being given a fuller picture and not just hearing of the problems.

Steve

Steve,

The information below is from the MHRA document published 10th March.

It is to be found at http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?I...nMethod=Latest

MRHA = Medcines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency - which is the body that receives and analysis all the adverse reaction data for UK medication.

Iain

__________________________________________________ ____________________________
Up to and including Tuesday 16 February 2010, MHRA has received a total of 3,134 UK reports of suspected ADRs to the H1N1 vaccines, which include 8,173 suspected reactions (asingle report may contain more than one reaction).

The total number of reports and the nature of suspected adverse reactions reported so
far are as expected at this stage in the immunisation campaign. The most frequently reported suspected adverse reactions continue to be injection site reactions (e.g. pain, swelling, redness) or other generalised symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness muscle pain, fever, fatigue, headache and swollen glands. Generally these were not serious and short-lived.

Twenty-one deaths, (excluding six cases of foetal death/stillbirth and one neonatal death),
following H1N1 vaccination have been reported in the UK to date. All had significant underlying illnesses and there is currently no suggestion that the vaccine contributed to any of these deaths. All reports of death following vaccination will remain under close review.

Six cases of foetal death/still birth have been reported in the UK to date. It is estimated that
more than 322,000 pregnant women across Europe have now been vaccinated with H1N1 vaccines (including at least 149,000 women in England). The number of cases of adverse pregnancy outcomes reported to date does not exceed what would be expected based on normal background rates in the absence of vaccination. There is no evidence of any risks to pregnancy.

Eight cases of suspected Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) have been reported in the UK to
date. Further€ information is awaited in order to assess diagnostic certainty. There is currently no evidence across Europe that H1N1 vaccines cause GBS or other similar neurological conditions.

Approximately 656,000 children aged less than 5-years (including 611,000 healthy children)
have been vaccinated in the UK to date. The safety profile of one dose of the vaccines in children is broadly consistent with that for adults
9. Further informat$

[Steve]

Iain,

Great to hear from you!

Where abouts are you these days and what are you doing?

Thanks for the info on reactions to the swine flu jab. That will help folks who have to consider it down the line I'm sure.

All the best,

Steve