23 Feb 2010
Members of the Expert Group on Serious Adverse Events with History of Human Swine Influenza (HSI) vaccination will meet at the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) this Thursday (February 25) to discuss recent cases of neurological and pregnancy-related conditions.
The CHP of the Department of Health has established a surveillance system to monitor serious adverse events since the launch of the HSI vaccination programme.
The meeting will discuss a case of an intrauterine death involving a 28-year-old pregnant woman reported to CHP on February 12 and a case of 75-year-old woman with suspected Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) following HSI vaccination reported to CHP on February 17.
The meeting will also review two new cases with neurological symptoms reported to CHP today (February 23).
The first case involved a 34 year-old man who presented with headache on February 20, followed by double vision the following day. He was admitted to hospital on February 21.
He received HSI vaccination on December 21, 2009. Investigations are being carried out to ascertain the diagnosis. He is now in stable condition.
The second case involved a 80-year-old man with history of hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, renal impairment and asthma. He received HSI vaccination on December 29, 2009.
He presented with sudden onset of limb paralysis and loss of voice on February 5 and was admitted to hospital on the same day. He is being investigated for transverse myelitis and other neurological conditions.
The patient is now listed in critical condition; his vital signs are stable.
The spokesman reiterated that a baseline number of such neurological conditions and intrauterine deaths occur in Hong Kong every year. Some of the events are expected to occur coincidentally following HSI vaccination.