December 30, 2009
By Jessica Jaganathan from Straits Times
A DOZEN people here have reported serious reactions to the
Influenza A (H1N1) vaccinations, ranging from allergic reactions
and persistent vomiting to breathing difficulties.
The health authorities say, however, that these side effects are
similar to those experieced by patients who have been given the
vaccine for the seasonal flu.
The 12 patients, aged between 24 and 58, were flagged by doctors
as either needing hospitalisation or having reactions considered
life threatening. They have all since recovered or are
recovering.
They were among 108 people who suffered adverse effects in one
form or another, suspected to have resulted from the H1N1 vaccine,
said a Health Sciences Authority (HSA) spokesman.
The rest had milder reactions – itchiness, swollen eyelids, sore
throat, fever, diarrhoea and dizziness, which usually surfaced on
the day of the jab and cleared up in a couple of days.
The Health Ministry says more than 240,000 doses of the H1N1
vaccine have been administered here, compared to the usual demand
of 400,000 doses of the seasonal flu vaccine.
Only one case of serious reaction to the seasonal flu vaccine
was reported last year and three the year before, but the HSA said
a lack of awareness could have led to under-reporting by doctors;
with the H1N1 vaccine, doctors have been asked to report all cases
of reactions to the jab.
The HSA spokesman added that the adverse effects from the H1N1
jabs are consistent with findings by the World Health Organisation
– that the pandemic vaccine triggers reactions similar to those of
vaccines for the seasonal flu.
The dozen patients with reactions assessed by their doctors to
be serious had symptoms including puffy eyes, flushing, breathing
difficulties from a drop in blood pressure and hypersensitive
reactions involving skin and joints.
One patient had dystonia, an involuntary jerking of the limbs;
another was wracked by persistent vomiting.
Five others, including a patient with an upper respiratory tract
infection and difficulty in breathing, are still being monitored,
said the HSA spokesman.
Four of the 12 patients had pre-existing medical conditions such
as asthma or allergies to certain medications.
The HSA spokesman pointed out that, other than for the five
patients with allergic reactions, it cannot be concluded that the
vaccines caused the serious effects for the others; the symptoms
they had could have arisen coincidentally, or from an underlying
disease.
Agreeing, Associate Professor Paul Ananth Tambyah, who heads the
National University Hospital’s infectious diseases division, said
the reactions could be due to medical reasons or might have
coincided with the vaccination date.
In the Northern hemisphere, the number of H1N1 virus infections
appears to have peaked and is starting to dip.
Two major mutations to the virus have been reported worldwide so
far, even as doctors here look for signs of more: One is resistant
to the anti-viral drug Tamiflu, and the other is associated with a
more severe form of the H1N1 flu.
Prof Tambyah said both mutations should be covered by the
vaccine.
Overall, hospital admissions here are now low – about 10 to 15
cases, down from 74 at the peak of the H1N1 outbreak in August.
Polyclinics have treated about 13,000 patients with upper
respiratory tract infections each week, down from 24,477 a week in
August.
But with people returning from holidays abroad and schools
re-opening soon, the numbers could go up again.
With up to a third of Singaporeans estimated to have been
infected with the virus in the first wave, the second wave could be
the same or smaller, said Prof Tambyah. This is because once half
the people are hit, the virus, finding fewer people to infect, will
naturally die out.
The Health Ministry yesterday repeated its call for good hygiene
habits. It also urged parents to get H1N1 shots for their children
and to keep them at home if they are unwell when schools re-open
next week. – Straits Times