ATLANTA — There's no evidence that the swine flu vaccine is causing any
serious side effects, U.S. health officials said Wednesday, in their first
report on the safety of the new vaccine.
Since vaccinations began in early October, the government has been tracking the
safety of the swine flu vaccine. By mid-November, about 22 million Americans had
gotten the vaccine and there were about 3,200 reports of possible side effects,
the vast majority for minor things like soreness or swelling from the shot.
Health officials didn't expect to see any serious problems — the swine flu
vaccine is basically the same as the regular winter flu vaccine. And there
weren't any signs of trouble in the tests done in thousands to find the right
dose.
Still, it is "very reassuring" to see that confirmed in their first report, said
Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The vaccine data so far really suggests this is a safe vaccine," she said at a
press conference Wednesday.
In particular, officials have been watching for reports of a rare paralyzing
condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome. That condition was seen in higher
numbers than usual during a swine flu vaccination campaign in 1976, a
development that contributed to the program's cancellation.
There have been only 10 Guillain-Barre reports so far in those who got the new
swine flu vaccine since early October, and some of those cases still are under
investigation, CDC officials said.
Ten is low. Guillain-Barre can occur on its own, and normally between 80 and 160
people are diagnosed with the condition each week in the United States, Schuchat
said.
The information comes from a voluntary reporting system that patients and
doctors can use if they think something went wrong after a vaccination. Of the
swine flu reports, 177 were considered serious, including 11 deaths.
There's no evidence those deaths were due to the vaccine, and there was no
common underlying medical condition or other pattern seen in those fatalities,
CDC officials said.
The CDC has two other systems for looking for vaccine side effects, and neither
of those have turned up Guillain-Barre cases so far, CDC officials said. If
problems occur, it's usually within six weeks of vaccination, they said.
Since it was first identified in April, swine flu has sickened an estimated 22
million Americans, hospitalized about 98,000 and killed 4,000. It has proved to
be similar to seasonal flu but a bigger threat to children and young adults.
Only a few million doses of swine flu vaccine were available at the beginning of
the campaign, but about 50 million doses have now been shipped, and the supply
continues to increase, Schuchat said.
Health officials are increasingly worried about severe cases of bacterial
pneumonia seen in non-elderly adults this fall. The swine flu virus and bacteria
can act as a dangerous one-two punch, and information from Denver in October
indicates bacterial pneumonia may be occurring at triple the normal rate,
Schuchat said.
She urged adults with chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart disease
to get a pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against bacterial infection.
Source : The Associated Press
