I got narcolepsy from swine flu vaccine but I still want Covid jab
A MAN who developed narcolepsy after receiving the swine flu vaccine has said he will take the Covid 19 vaccine, adding: ‘It’s unlikely lightning could strike twice.’
Dominic Vaz, 28, whose case was previously highlighted in the Irish Mail on Sunday, says he does not anticipate an adverse reaction to the vaccine, despite his previous experience.
‘With Covid, I want to be part of the solution, not the problem and that means getting vaccinated,’ Dominic told the MoS.
‘I’ve researched online and there’s no advice telling me I can’t have it because of narcolepsy so, yes, I’ll probably go for it.
‘The chances of having a huge reaction are very, very slim.’
Dominic is one of at least 87 young Irish people who contracted narcolepsy after receiving the Pandemrix swine flu jab 11 years ago.
When the vaccine was purchased in 2009, the then-government granted its manufacturers, GlaxoSmithKline, full indemnity from any potential claims. The Health Service Executive finally stopped administering it in March 2010.
A test case brought against the State was settled 18 months ago with no admission of liability.
Dominic, who now runs his own café in Antwerp, Belgium, is in line to receive an approximate €1.3m payout later this year or next.
But he says it’s a small comfort for a lifelong affliction that rules his life.
‘I’ve learned to live with it but of course it’s limiting and it always will be,’ says Dominic.
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that creates a disturbance in the normal sleep-wake cycle.
Dominic received the vaccine while repeating his Leaving Certificate in Columba College in Killucan, Co. Westmeath, in January 2010.
Because he was 18, Dominic did not require a permission slip from his parents and opted to have the vaccination.
He recalls: ‘They just turned up at the school one day, there was no warning, we didn’t know they were coming. I remember trying to ring my mum but I didn’t get through. ‘I just thought, “I better have it”. ‘There was quite a scare going around at the time, especially in the media. I do remember that about four people at the time absolutely refused to have it.’
Dominic and all the other Irish victims are members of Sufferers of Unique Narcolepsy Disorder (SOUND), a charity set up by parents of children who were affected by the vaccination.
Some of the other victims had already received their payouts, including Aoife Bennet who brought the test case for the action.
Meanwhile, a survey has found Irish people are the most willing in the EU to take a Covid-19 vaccine.
Almost 87% of people surveyed here said they were ‘very likely’ (76.6%) or ‘rather likely’ (9.9%) to take the vaccine, according to the survey which was published last week.
The online survey from Eurofound taken across the EU in February showed Bulgaria was the country with the highest vaccine hesitancy, where 61% of those surveyed indicated they were ‘unlikely’ or ‘very unlikely’ to take the vaccine.