Paris (dpa) - A young woman was diagnosed with a crippling illness
possibly linked to the vaccine being used protect the French public
against swine flu, the health ministry said late Thursday.
The woman, who was only identified as a health worker, came down
with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) six days after receiving her swine
flu vaccination.
GBS is a rare crippling disease that could lead to death if severe
pulmonary complications and nervous system problems are present.
Every year, about 1,700 cases of the disease are diagnosed in France.
Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said the case diagnosed was
light and that the woman was recovering.
However, news of the apparently vaccine-related illness is likely
to dampen enthusiasm here for getting vaccinated against swine flu.
In 1976, the United States halted a vaccination programme against
swine flu because some 500 inoculated people came down with GBS, with
25 of them dying. At the time, researchers concluded that the vaccine
led to one additional case of GBS per 100,000 people.
The French government began its public vaccination programme
Thursday, starting with persons in contact with infants; health
professionals; and high-risk individuals, notably those suffering
from respiratory ailments.
A poll made in October revealed that only about 17 per cent of the
French planned on being vaccinated.
Copyright 2009 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH