In a statement, Sound – a group for those affected by the vaccine – called on the State to offer similar settlements to all families affected by narcolepsy due to Pandemrix. RTÉ report that the boy was later diagnosed with the sleep disorder narcolepsy and the auto-immune disease cataplexy, and suffers from exhaustion during the day, as well as sleep paralysis and hallucinations. Irish teenagers now heavier and taller than 35 years ago, Declan Ganley takes legal action claiming Level 5 prevents him going to Mass, ‘Hearing how he begged for his life haunts me’ – Adam Muldoon’s sister tells court, Teen who sued over swine flu vaccine settles case. The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic left a troubling legacy in Europe: More than 1300 people who received a vaccine …
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? For more information on cookies please refer to our cookies policy. “Sound is not anti-vaccination and High Court proceedings have never been our primary focus,” he added. Ben Blackwell from Ratoath in Co Meath won damages from the vaccine maker and the health service after he received the Pandemrix vaccine at … Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. He currently takes three scheduled naps a day including when he is at school. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1890 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie. That would leave taxpayers liable to pay out in the event of a problem. Please note that TheJournal.ie uses cookies to improve your experience and to provide services and advertising. Benjamin Blackwell claimed he contracted the sleep disorder narcolepsy and cataplexy, an associated muscle weakness after he received the Pandemrix vaccine at national school when he was five years old. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. The last time the UK rushed a vaccine into use it ended up costing taxpayers millions of pounds in compensation because of a rare complication linked to the Pandemrix vaccine, developed by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to protect against swine flu.
This is not necessary unless the aim is to prevent the small number of people who may develop side-effects from being able to get justice through the courts.

The landmark action was a test case for 80 other legal actions over the vaccine developed in response to the swine flu pandemic of 2009 and 2010. But rather than learn the lessons of history and provide the public with assurance on how side effects will be handled and the support and compensation that will be available, ministers are instead looking to give pharmaceutical companies immunity from legal action. to deliver the stories that are important to you

Are you sure you want to delete this comment? More than 100 people are believed to have taken legal action against GSK and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Following a widespread vaccination campaign, the numbers of children and adults developing narcolepsy began to rise substantially. The Pandemrix vaccine referred to by Arlett contained the influenza antigen H5N1 and GSK’s proprietary adjuvant system AS03, as well as stabilisers and preservatives (1, 2, 3). Wire service provided by Associated Press. Narcolepsy is a condition that has a strong genetic linkage, being almost uniquely seen in persons who have the (HLA) DQB1*0602 genotype. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. The government must be prepared to have a grown up conversation about the risks and benefits of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The ground-breaking settlement for Benjamin Blackwell could now pave the way for the resolution of 80 cases over the Pandemrix vaccine which were due before the High Court. Previous studies linked this version of the swine flu vaccine, called Pandemrix (made by GlaxoSmithKline), and cases of narcolepsy. Coronavirus made the fear of a global deadly pandemic very real for billions of people around the world with cities in lockdown, economies in freefall and more than 830,000 people dead. Benjamin Blackwell,( 16), Fairyhouse Road, Ratoath, Co Meath had through his mother Natalie Blackwell sued the Minister for Health, the HSE and Glaxosmithkline Biologicals SA (GSK), producer of Pandemrix. In 2011 the young boy went on his first Beaver Scouts camping trip and when his mother went to pick him up, she found him sound asleep in the middle of the camp field as all the other children ran around having fun. To date, more than 80 cases have been lodged before the courts in relation to Pandemrix. Sites: For example, a study in … By February 22nd 2010, an alternative swine flu vaccine, Celvapan, was available and was known by that date to be much safer than Pandemrix, it was also claimed. The symptoms of pandemic flu are similar to those of ordinary flu but may be more severe. He had ongoing problems with fatigue and narcolepsy was diagnosed in 2012.

“We thank Ben Blackwell and his family for taking this case,” the group’s secretary Tadgh Kennedy said in a statement. Counsel said there are extensive benefits in the settlement for Benjamin Blackwell, which includes educational supports, accomodation costs in relation to third level education , a “gold” medical card as well as childcare costs. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. Users are reminded that they are fully responsible for their own created content and their own posts, comments and submissions and fully and effectively warrant and indemnify Journal Media in relation to such content and their ability to make such content, posts, comments and submissions available. Benjamin Blackwell claimed he contracted the sleep disorder narcolepsy and cataplexy, an associated muscle weakness after he received the Pandemrix vaccine at national school when he was five years old. The amount the teenager is to receive will be brought before the court on another occasion. GSK was previously given an indemnity by the State concerning any adverse reactions to the vaccine. The only pandemic influenza vaccine used in Finland and Sweden was Pandemrix, an adjuvanted influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. Should vaccine producers get protection from lawsuits? , TheJournal.ie supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. The42 |

Pandemic flu is a type of influenza that occurs every few decades and which spreads rapidly around the world. The Explainer is a weekly podcast from TheJournal.ie that takes a deeper look at one big news story you need to know about. Publicity failed to mention the indemnity or the unique way the vaccine was approved by the European Medicines Agency.