Widespread support for a full flu vaccine side effects enquiry

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMay 4 2010

After nearly 250 children suffered from serious side effects of the seasonal flu shots including one death the Western Australian Government’s step to suspend further vaccinations and investigate the issue has received widespread support. The enquiry will look into the Health Department's handling of the flu vaccination program as well.

WA Health Minister Kim Hames announced that the review will look into protocols for identification of public health risks, including vaccine side-effects and disease outbreaks. This has come amidst criticism of the government's slow response. “There has been concern expressed by members of the public regarding the process and the time taken by the Health Department in reaching a conclusion that there was a problem with the vaccine and proceeding to closing that vaccination program…I have been reassured that everything was done in the correct time frame,” Dr Hames said on Tuesday.

The executive director of the Health Consumers Association Michele Kosky said that this review will also look into the steps that the health authorities took to prevent and control such reactions. “My intuitive sense is that there was a delay and that didn't assist parents anxiety, that's only intuition….I'd like to see the evidence that will be uncovered in the review,” he said. He believes that this report will help in future such incidents. “I'd like to see improvements in the reporting mechanisms,” he added.

WA opposition health spokesman Roger Cook also questioned the communication efficiency and coordination within the health system. “Parents need to know what went wrong and how the Barnett government will stop it happening again,” Mr Cook said.

The president of the Australian Medical Association in WA Gary Geelhoed believes that the health department reacted well within time. “There has got to be a balance between reacting appropriately when there are problems but not jumping in too soon…It's really trying to balance you know between jumping too early if you think there may be a problem and leaving it too late as it were…. So we look forward to see what the findings are,” he said.

This inquiry would be spearheaded by WA chief medical officer Bryant Stokes and is expected to present reports in a month’s time. “He will do an investigation into the circumstances surrounding problems with the vaccine, the timing that it took us to close that program down ... and mechanisms that we can put in place that will make calls to the public Health Department work better,” Dr Hames said. “We've also informed (Federal Health Minister) Nicola Roxon that we're undertaking this review because the actual management of reactions to vaccinations (is) the responsibility of the commonwealth, not the state,” he added.