By Jo Macfarlane
A swine flu vaccine which has been given to thousands of children in Britain may cause the sleep disorder narcolepsy. Symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness and nodding off suddenly without warning. All packets of the vaccine Pandemrix will have to carry a warning about the risk following a ruling by the EU regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Side effects: Within weeks of having the Pandemrix jab, Joshua Hadfield (right) began sleeping 18 hours a day and his mother says his personality completely changed
The EMA, which is currently investigating the effects of the vaccine, has also told doctors to weigh up the potential risks before injecting children against the deadly H1N1 virus.
There have been seven reported cases of narcolepsy in the UK linked to the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine – four of them children.
The condition can also cause temporary muscle paralysis, hallucinations and problems concentrating.
Caroline Hadfield, of Frome, Somerset, believes her five-year-old son Joshua contracted narcolepsy after being vaccinated with Pandemrix last January.
Within weeks of having the jab, Joshua began sleeping 18 hours a day and Mrs Hadfield says his personality completely changed.
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