: Vaccine under scrutiny after deaths.
Steven Morris 28.8.2000.
The safety of the meningitis immunisation program came under scrutiny yesterday when it emerged that 11 people have died following injections
Health officials insisted the deaths were not connected to the injection and maintained the program was completely safe but the handling of the issue was criticised.
Since the immunisation program began last year, more than 16,000 "adverse reactions" to the vaccine have been reported to the medicines control agency.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said two of the 11 had heart conditions, two died of group B meningitis - for which there is no vaccine - and one of a convulsion 10 days after the injection. The six others died of cot death.
She added that the number of adverse reactions - which can range from a minor headache to death - was not unusual for the scale of the Program, the first in Europe. Officials from the Meningitis Research Foundation and was Meningitis Trust said they were certain that immunisaion was saving lives.
The shadow health secretary, Liam Fox, said he was angry that no minister had come forward to quell public anxiety. "If the public suspects that the government is withholding information, there is a danger they will lose confidence in the program. The only way to dispel this is for a minister to say there is no basis for it. “
Instead they are hiding behind civil servants. That is stupid and cowardly. Ministers are paid take responsibility." John Fletcher, of the vaccination campaign group, Justice Awareness Basic Support said- "They always say there is no problem. Parents need to have all the information so they can make a balanced so they can make a balanced judgement.
We have had many calls from parents whose children have suffered adverse reactions and believe the program was introduced too quickly. In effect, ordinary people are the guinea pigs.