10 Apr 2010
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) received a report from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) about a 65-year old man presenting with limb numbness and history of human swine influenza (HSI) vaccination.
The patient had HSI vaccination on December 29, 2009, more than two months before onset of symptoms.
A CHP spokesman today (April 10) said the patient had onset of numbness over the soles of both feet in early March, followed by numbness of fingers of both hands.
He sought medical attention at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on March 20 but hospitalisation was not required. He is now in stable condition.
Further investigations are being carried out to ascertain the diagnosis, including that of Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) and other neurological conditions.
He said, "CHP will closely monitor the clinical progress and further laboratory results of the patient. Information about the case will be reviewed by the Expert Group in due course for determination of diagnosis and etiology."
Literature review shows that the majority of GBS cases that are temporally associated with seasonal influenza vaccination occur between the second and the third week, with a median latency of 13 days. The latency period of this patient is more than eight weeks, which falls outside the usual latency period for such cases.
According to the World Health Organisation, global experience so far showed that HSI vaccination is not associated with increased incidence of GBS.
A baseline number of such neurological conditions occur in Hong Kong every year, regardless of vaccination history. Some of the events are expected to occur coincidentally following HSI vaccination.