Guillain-Barre syndrome  Swine flu vaccine  Experts

[No Allopath 'expert' is ever going to link a vaccine to any disease.]

Swine flu jab takes hit as man, 91, falls ill

Mary Ann Benitez
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=93181&sid=26704544&con_type=1
Friday, January 15, 2010


Experts have yet to find a link between the human swine flu vaccine and Guillain-Barre syndrome, the health chief says.

York Chow Yat-ngok's remarks yesterday came as doctors tried to find out whether a 91-year-old man who complained of lower limb weakness after receiving the vaccine is suffering from the rare nerve disorder.

A definitive diagnosis has yet to be made, a spokesman for the Department of Health said yesterday.

The patient, who is in stable condition at Princess Margaret Hospital, received a vaccine for seasonal flu on November 26 and another for human swine flu on January 4.

He began complaining of lower limb weakness on Saturday and was admitted to hospital on Tuesday.

"The patient was assessed by a neurologist. Clinical assessment showed that he had [a] decrease in power in both legs," a Centre for Health Protection spokesman said.

A nerve conduction test came out normal and further test results are pending.

Last week, a 58-year-old cardiologist was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome after also complaining of lower limb weakness.

He had received the human swine flu vaccine on December 24 and is undergoing treatment at Queen Mary Hospital.

However, experts could not say whether the swine flu jab itself had led to his illness.

Centre for Health Protection controller Thomas Tsang Ho- fai said it would be cause for concern if the number of local cases of the syndrome increased significantly from the current monthly average of six to 12.

Meanwhile, 2,604 people were vaccinated in the 24 hours ending at 1pm yesterday. The daily number of people taking the human swine flu shot has been on the decline since the cardiologist was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome.

As of Wednesday, 34,697 people had been confirmed with swine flu in the city. Fifty-six have died.