Initial reports linking seasonal flu vaccine and getting swine flu or H1N1 flu emerged September 2009 in Canada. In spring 2009 many people who acquired pandemic H1N1 flu had been initially vaccinated with seasonal flu vaccine. This triggered four additional studies in Canada to explore the link further. The studies included 2,700 patients with or without H1N1. The first of the studies showed a surprising 68 percent rise of risk of development of H1N1 flu in those vaccinated with seasonal flu shot. The other 3 studies showed increase of risk of H1N1 flu by 1.4 to 1.5 times with the original flu shot.
The authors of the study said, “…Estimates from all four studies (which included about 1,200 laboratory-confirmed pH1N1 cases and 1,500 controls) showed that prior recipients of the 2008–09 TIV [seasonal flu shot] had approximately 1.4–2.5 times increased chances of developing pH1N1 illness that needed medical attention during the spring–summer of 2009 compared to people who had not received the TIV.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) in a statement has admitted the error in over-hyping the swine flu scare. WHO influenza expert Keiji Fukuda went on to say that the six-phase system for declaring a pandemic was confusing and resulted in panic. This came after many criticized the WHO officials to be influenced by pharmaceutical companies that were making the flu shots. Much of the flu shots that were procured in preparation for the pandemic went unused, wasting millions of taxpayers’ funds.
At present the faith in health authorities regarding safety and efficacy of both types of flu shots is at its lowest ebb. It’s only a couple of weeks since more than 250 children suffered the ill effects of a seasonal flu shot manifesting as fever, vomiting and seizures and reportedly causing the death of a two year old girl. The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration investigating the issue has tested the batches of vaccines and found no abnormality in them. Further vaccinations of under-fives have been stopped in relation to these side effects and more detailed investigations are ongoing.
According to Maxine Drake from the WA Health Consumers Council this disaster could permanently put off many parents from vaccinating their kids. “People will want valid plausible explanations and they will want openness and honesty about what has happened here…Nobody will benefit from the Government or the public health experts cajoling and in a way intimidating people back into vaccination it has to be done by reinstating people's confidence through good science and good explanation….I think that the vaccination rates will likely dip until we can get a good explanation and help people to feel confident again,” she said.
Novel vaccine approach effective against all virus strains