Many Finland youth have Narcolepsy from Swineflu Vaccine

February 10, 2011

WHO: Genetic link to swine flu vaccine narcolepsy

By Associated Press | Tuesday, February 8, 2011 |

GENEVA — Genetic factors may have contributed to a spike in narcolepsy cases

observed among children in Finland who received the swine flu vaccine Pandemrix,

the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

A WHO expert panel says of 22 narcolepsy patients tested, all had a gene

commonly associated with narcolepsy, a disorder that causes people to suddenly

fall asleep but is rarely fatal.

About 30 percent of people in Finland have that particular gene, compared with

15 percent in the rest of Europe, said Zuber, WHO's top vaccine safety

official.

Last week, Finnish authorities said they had found a nine-fold increased risk of

narcolepsy among 4- to 19-year-olds who were given the swine flu shots. In

total, 60 children and adolescents contracted narcolepsy in Finland in 2009 and

2010. Fifty-two of them — or almost 90 percent — had received the Pandemrix

vaccine.

Lesser increases were also observed in Sweden and Iceland, WHO said.

WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety said in a statement Tuesday

that it agreed with Finnish authorities that there was a " strong association "

between the vaccination, the genetic makeup of the patients, and the narcolepsy

cases.

But since a coincidental correlation cannot be ruled out, and as narcolepsy

after swine flu vaccination has been reported in only a few countries so far,

the panel recommended that Pandemrix continue to be administered to children.

To date, at least 12 countries have informed Pandemrix's British manufacturer

GlaxoKline PLC of narcolepsy cases following vaccination.

WHO declined to say which other countries apart from Sweden, Finland and

Iceland, had reported cases, citing rules requiring the global body to be

formally notified by its member state's governments before publicly naming

affected nations.

But it said the three countries identified had " notably higher " instances than

the other nine.

A spokesman for GlaxoKline was unable immediately to provide the

information.

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