HealthNews.in

The influenza pandemic in 2009 led to the vaccination of high-risk groups with new vaccines targeting swine flu, when only limited information about the safety of the vaccines was available.

Researchers at UCL and vaccine manufacturers GSK found that Pandemrix had an acceptable safety profile in all age and risk groups studied.

The researchers analysed side effects reported within 6 months in more than 8500 people, aged 7 months to 97 years, who had received at least one dose of the adjuvanted H1N1 pandemic vaccine during the national pandemic influenza vaccination campaign in the UK.

The observed number of adverse events of special interest was below the expected number for Bell’s palsy, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and demyelination, but above the expected number for neuritis (1 case within 31 days), and convulsions (8 cases within 181 days).

Norovirus, the leading cause of infectious gastroenteritis (vomiting & diarrhoea), is currently showing increased activity in Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, and the UK.

Genetic analysis of the virus has shown that this has been caused by the emergence of a new strain of norovirus.

The new norovirus genotype II.4 variant, named Sydney 2012 after the place where it was first reported, is related to existing strains Apeldoorn 2007 and New Orleans 2009, but is different enough that there may be limited immunity in the population.