I’ve been consulted recently by a client whose partner had the flu vaccine last Autumn.

Until this person received the vaccine they were fit and healthy. Then within about 48 hours of vaccination they fell ill. Initially the symptoms were a cough, feeling tired and sleepy and being sick. Their condition steadily worsened and they began fitting and losing consciousness. Eventually MRI scan diagnosed ADEM (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis). Despite all attempts to treat this unfortunately the person tragically died.

Is there a link between the vaccine and ADEM? The Department of health’s Green Book says

“The following adverse events have been reported very rarely after seasonal influenza vaccination over the past 30 years but no causal association has been established: neuralgia, paraesthesiae, convulsions and transient thrombocytopenia, vasculitis with transient renal involvement and neurological disorders such as encephalomyelitis.”

GSK’s product safety datasheet for their vaccine says this

“Adverse reactions reported from post marketing surveillance

Adverse reactions reported from post marketing surveillance are, next to the reactions which have also been observed during the clinical trials, the following:

Blood and lymphatic system disorders:

Transient thrombocytopenia, transient Lymphadenopathy

Immune system disorders:

Allergic reactions, in rare cases leading to shock, angioedema

Nervous system disorders:

Neuralgia, paraesthesia, febril convulsions, neurological disorders, such as encephalomyelitis, neuritis and Guillain Barré syndrome”

So………GSK disclose that there have been reports of ADEM after their flu vaccine.

The Department of Health acknowledge this but say that causation has not yet been established.

They don’t however say that causation has been disproven.

So……was the ADEM caused or triggered by the vaccination?