Fears over flu jab adverse reactions in children

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDApr 27 2010

Till now more than 250 under five kids have developed some or other adverse reaction to seasonal flu jabs. There has been a mad rush at the adverse events hotline with many parents and healthcare staff panicking as more reports are streaming in. Initially there was a spike in cases in Western Australia but now more cases are being reported from Queensland and South Australia. The affected children developed fever, vomiting and seizures. Even New Zealand has reported three cases of febrile convulsions.

There have been 55 cases of convulsions in WA and almost 200 others suffered fevers and vomiting, chief health officer Dr Tarun Weeramanthri said. One child (one year old girl) is in a serious but stable condition at Princess Margaret Hospital. A total of 23 children have been admitted to PMH in Perth since the middle of last month with febrile convulsions feared to be associated with this year's flu vaccine. A spokeswoman for PMH said there were no further cases since vaccinations for kids were suspended on Friday. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has urged concerned parents whose kids have received the shots to contact their doctor. Dr. Weeramanthri said on Tuesday, “Once that national picture is built up this week we'll know more about whether there is a problem, which areas it is in, what possible causes there are…””We found no evidence of any single batch being the cause of these reactions,” he added.

Chief Medical Officer Jim Bishop has earlier stopped further vaccinations of kids and assured a full investigation of the cause. At present all fingers point towards CSL's Fluvax seasonal flu vaccine. A spokeswoman for the federal Health Department said that health authorities believed that Fluvax could be behind the cases. CSL retaliated by saying that there are at least three other brands in the market and deeper research into the issue is pending. Some experts have also said that these cases may not be linked to the vaccine at all.

The pressure is mounting especially after the crib death of two year old Ashley Jade Epapara on April 9^th, merely 12 hours after the flu jab. Queensland's Chief Health Officer, Jeannette Young assured of an “urgent investigation” of the issue. She said on Sunday,”Until now, neither Queensland Health nor the relevant national body had been advised of, or were aware of, any death allegedly related to a 2010 seasonal flu vaccination in Queensland.” “Queensland Health is working closely with the Coroner on this matter,” she assured. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the family at this time,” she said.