Vaccine Mistrust Going Global?

As far as I know, this is not just a matter of debate but rather a global health issue..

Can't believe I just saw this now. Then again, glad this didn't explode into the monster we had a few months back.

Vaccine mistrust is yet another item on a long list of idiotic things morons question where experts in respective fields unanimously agree. God it's infuriating. Also, @Eos and others regarding the flu vaccine: it's a crap shoot maybe, but it's better to take all the protection you can get if in the end it'll only help. Plus when seasonal flu shots are free, such as at my university, it makes no sense not to get one.

Vaccines in general are good but there most likely WAS a risk to gain narcolepsy from Pandemrix (Swin Flu vaccine) for Ages 4-19. Finland banned it for now, because of the suspected connection. I belive it was 60 people aged 4-19 who got narcolepsy on 2009 in Finland. Normally only 4-6 Finns from this age group get the disease in a year. Out of these 60 kids 90% of them had got the Pandemrix vaccine for Swine Flu.

http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?c...abled=true

European Medicines Agency recommends restricting use of Pandemrix

In persons under 20 years of age Pandemrix to be used only in the absence of seasonal trivalent influenza vaccines, following link to very rare cases of narcolepsy in young people. Overall benefit-risk remains positive.

Finalising its review of Pandemrix and narcolepsy the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended that in persons under 20 years of age Pandemrix may only be used if the recommended seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine is not available and if immunisation against H1N1 is still needed (e.g. in persons at risk of the complications of infection). The CHMP confirmed that overall the benefit-risk balance of Pandemrix remains positive.

The review of Pandemrix was initiated to investigate a possible link between Pandemrix vaccination and narcolepsy, following an increased number of reported cases of narcolepsy among children and adolescents in Finland and Sweden. The reported cases of narcolepsy occurred following the H1N1 pandemic vaccination campaign in late 2009 and early 2010. The current review has been conducted in the context of seasonal use.

The CHMP considered all available data on the possible association between Pandemrix and narcolepsy and the impact on the overall benefit-risk balance of Pandemrix. These included the results of epidemiological studies carried out in Finland and Sweden, analysis of safety surveillance data performed in several Member States and case reports from across the European Union (EU). They also included the preliminary results of an epidemiological study of narcolepsy and pandemic vaccines in eight EU Member States, coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) through a network of research and public health institutions (VAESCO).

The CHMP also took advice from a specially convened meeting of experts in fields such as paediatric neurology, vaccinology, immunology, sleep disorders, infectious diseases, epidemiology, as well as experts from Health Canada, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the ECDC, to consider the latest available data regarding the possible link between Pandemrix and narcolepsy.

The CHMP considered that the epidemiological studies relating to Pandemrix in Finland and Sweden were well designed and the results show an association between Pandemrix vaccination and narcolepsy in children and adolescents in those countries. The results indicate a six- to 13-fold increased risk of narcolepsy with or without cataplexy in vaccinated as compared with unvaccinated children and adolescents, corresponding to about an additional three to seven cases in every 100,000 vaccinated subjects. This risk increase has not been found in adults (older than 20 years). A similar risk has not been confirmed but cannot be ruled out in other countries.

The Committee noted that the vaccine is likely to have interacted with genetic or environmental factors which might raise the risk of narcolepsy, and that other factors may have contributed to the results. There are several initiatives being developed across the EU to further investigate this association.

The CHMP noted that similar epidemiological studies have not been completed in other countries. The preliminary results of the VAESCO study confirmed the signal in Finland. Results are still preliminary and do not allow conclusions in other countries (where vaccination coverage with Pandemrix was lower), but the final results of the VAESCO study are still awaited.

Exposure to specific infectious diseases (including H1N1) at different ages, particularly upper respiratory infections, may have contributed to the observations in the Nordic area. The CHMP considered that it would be helpful if ongoing epidemiological studies seek to address this question.

http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?c...abled=true
http://www.pharmatimes.com/article/11-02..._link.aspx
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/01/...arcolepsy/

But there also could be a genetic factor, because 70% of the reported cases are from Sweden or Finland. (There's also a few from Norway and Iceland)

Either way, this crap was completely addressed in media, from anything to interview of parents of the kids whos kid had got narcolepsy and wanted big refunds from the government health agency. It was kind of a shock to me, because many people were making conspiracy theories about the vaccine program in schools and now they say I got 9 times bigger risk to get a lifetime disease because of the poison they injected me with.

Either way, I hope people don't stop taking old and trusted vaccines because of a single and unclear case.

The H1N1 vaccine also had a chance to give an auto-immune disease (don't remember the name), nevertheless the chances of getting that syndrome were far outweighted by the benefits of not catching a pretty deadly type of flu. But let's not start this debate again, it's silly enough as is.

My 5 year old has just recently begun her vaccinations. I start them just before they start school. We don't do flu shots though. (knock on wood: I haven't had the flu in 19 years)

Wow. So, we shouldn't give people a vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer, as well as cancer in the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and head and neck (tongue, tonsils and throat). That sounds like a great idea.
Also, it's of course an awful idea to prevent people from getting chicken pox, and then a painful disease known as Shingles.
Or smallpox.
Or Polio.
Or Hepatitis A/B.
Or Meningitis.
Or Diphtheria.
Or Pertussis.
Nah, those diseases are totally okay.

Interesting site - Dissect!

http://ht.ly/5SlCe