A young boy and his family have settled with the English government for $175,000 after he developed narcolepsy from receiving the swine flu vaccine.
Josh Hadfield, 10, from Frome in Somerset, England, received the Pandemrix vaccine (the H1N1 2009 influenza vaccine) six years ago, and afterwards he developed a severe case of narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder that causes one to suddenly fall asleep, and also includes total loss of muscle control and hallucinations.
Families in England are entitled to a settle disability cases from vaccinations through the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme, though it’s only if they can prove “severe” disability.
Josh’s case isn’t isolated: the vaccine had been linked to narcolepsy cases in children in Finland, Ireland, and Sweden.
Currently, the vaccine is no longer used for swine flu, though it is at the forefront of conversations on how safe vaccines actually are, and whether governments have the right to force parents to vaccinate their children.
