Aug 28, 2014 in News Product Liability

Product Liability: Adverse reactions to vaccines are possible

[caption id="attachment_6370" align="alignleft" width="300"] (Photo credit: gesinek/RGBstock.com)[/caption] Medicine is constantly improving and for some illnesses and diseases, it's gotten to a point where through the use of vaccines, medical professionals have now found a way to prevent us from catching illnesses. The Ontario government covers the cost of vaccinations, such as measles, mumps and rubella, which are typically administered through school programs. These vaccines have prevented Canadians from catching diseases, such as Diptheria and Pertussis (Whooping Cough). Also, vaccinations have helped prevent between two to three million deaths a year, according to estimates by the World Health Organization. Immunization has become a hot button topic with a measles outbreak declared in Alberta earlier this year. Some Canadians who avoid vaccinations or avoid having their children vaccinated fear experiencing an adverse reaction, such as convulsions, seizures and anaphylaxis, or death such sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). According to a report by Public Health Ontario, there were 56 reported serious adverse events related to vaccines in 2012, which is considered low during a year when there were 7.8 million vaccinations given, according to CBC News. None of the severe reactions were fatal. Those who had a serious reaction stayed in the hospital for a median timeframe of 2.5 days with some patients staying between one to 18 days. The most common severe reaction was anaphalaxis, a severe allergic reaction, which occurred in 46.2 per cent of the cases, and convulsions or seizures, which occurred in 30.1 per cent of the cases. There were 631 adverse reactions reported to the vaccine after it was administered, most of these were mild reactions such as sore arms, rashes and a fever. The chance of an adverse reaction to vaccines in 2012 was 4.7 per 100,000 people. Younger Canadians (less than 18 years old) were more likely to have reported adverse reactions with their age group accounting for more than half of the cases. In 2009, there was an issue with a batch of H1N1 vaccine with 36 Canadians reporting adverse events. The vaccine was pulled by manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline and Canadians with reactions were treated on site since most reactions happened within minutes of receiving the vaccine. There's always a chance that you could catch a virus and outbreaks can occur in a hospital, where you expect to be receive treatment. Also, when you treat an illness, you can have an adverse reaction to a drug, but new legislation hopes to pull dangerous drugs off shelves sooner. If you?ve been injured by negligence by a doctor or healthcare worker, you can be compensated. The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been handling all types of injuries for over 40 years including injuries from medical malpractice. We understand the impacts injuries can have on your life and we know how to help you. Call us at 416-920-4242. Set up a free consultation and come talk with us.