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Anxiety blamed for vaccine reaction
Pupils fell ill after meningitis vaccination |
High levels of anxiety could have caused more than 70 pupils to suddenly fall ill after receiving shots of the new vaccine against meningitis, a medical expert has said.
The immunisation programme at John Port School, Etwall, Derbyshire, was halted after children fell sick and developed severe headaches shortly after receiving the injection. Some even passed out.
Two were taken to hospital but were released after assessment.
The symptoms suffered by the children are consistent with the known side effects of the vaccine for the C strain of meninigits.
But doctors were surprised by the severity and scale of the reaction.
Of the 650 pupils due to be given the vaccine 237 had received it before it was stopped, and of those 140 have been interviewed with more than half reporting side effects.
The same batch of vaccine has been used across the country with no reported problems.
Hysterical reaction
Dr Roy Fey, consultant in communicable diseases for Southern Derbyshire Health Authority, originally suggested the pupils may have experienced an hysterical reaction.
But he now believes high anxiety levels are more likely to be to blame.
He said: "People often become anxious at the sight of a needle, so when you have a large number of people, children in this case, being vaccinated the sense of anxiety can spread."
The vaccination programme at the school is likely to resume at the end of the month.
Julia Warren, head of communications for the Meningitis Research Foundation, said it was possible that pupils in Derbyshire were more anxious as they lived close to the meningitis blackspot of Ironville, where nine children have been diagnosed with the disease over the past three and a half years.
But she said teenagers and parents should not be put off having the new vaccine.
She said: "There have been thousands and thousands of doses given out to 15, 16 and 17-year-olds and the number of adverse reactions and side effects has been absolutely minimal.
"All the tests have shown that the vaccine is extremely safe. The consequences of meningococcal disease can be devastating, so many young lives have been lost and many others have developed severe disability - a vaccine that protects against that can only be good."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said there was no cause for concern.
A programme started at the beginning of November to give all 15 to 17-year-olds the vaccine.
All children aged 17 and under will be immunised by the end of next year
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Meningitis Research Foundation |
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National Meningitis Trust |
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Department of Health |
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