Vietnam has recorded 96 cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection, including one death, since the beginning of this year, the Department of Preventive Health reported Tuesday according to Thanh Nien News.
Hanoi recorded 67 cases, according to the agency announcement. In addition to afflicting individuals in Ho Chi Minh City, confirmed cases have also been reported by authorities in provinces like Long An and Bac Giang.
In related news, AFP quoted the World Health Organization as saying that twelve countries have reported suspected cases of narcolepsy – a sleep disorder – linked to swine flu vaccines.
The findings warranted further investigation, the UN Agency advised. In the meantime, WHO officials continued to reccomend that individuals seek out the vaccination.
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder which causes extreme fatigue and often results in the patient falling soundly asleep without warning, even in the middle of an activity.
According to AFP, the WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety last week reviewed data from a Finnish study, which found that children injected with the Pandemrix flu vaccine were nine times more likely to contract narcolepsy than those who were not vaccinated.
The Pandemrix vaccine, made by GlaxoSmithKline, was used in 47 countries worldwide during 2009-2010, according to WHO. It was included by the agency in donations made to poor nations during the flu pandemic.
