Side-effect fears hit flu jab launch

ONE of the first people to be given the swine flu jab in France has fallen ill with a rare autoimmune disorder, while the government attempts to reassure the public about safety on day one of the vaccination campaign.

More than 1,000 centres in school gyms and other public buildings around the country opened their doors for the first time yesterday, dealing first with at-risk groups including the elderly.

However turnout was low. One vaccination centre in the middle of Lille gave just two jabs during the day, according to La Voix du Nord.

Health minister Roselyne Bachelot agreed to get the jab in the presence of journalists and TV cameras. She told reporters: "We have a safe, tested vaccine which allows people to protect themselves and those around them."

However it emerged last night that one of the people to be given an early batch of the vaccine has been hit by a suspected case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare nervous condition which starts with weakness in the legs and in 10% of cases can paralyse the whole body if not treated in time.

The health ministry stressed that a link between the jab and the illness had not been formally established, and the condition affected about 1,800 people in France each year.

After elderly people, pregnant women and very young children, the next key group to be vaccinated against swine flu are schoolchildren, starting at the end of November.

Related stories:
Swine flu vaccine starts this week
Seasonal flu: get your jabs
Swine flu cases surge in Paris