Some 60 children who showed abnormal symptoms after getting vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus were yesterday confirmed to have become ill not from the vaccine, but rather from flu infection.

Health officials had conducted investigations after an elementary school in southern Seoul reported that a total of 80 students missed classes on Monday.

According to officials, 61 of them were inoculated with the flu vaccine on Nov. 19 and displayed symptoms such as fevers, coughing, headaches and sore throats.

Despite speculation that the symptoms could have originated from vaccine side effects, health officials said, 32 students were confirmed or suspected to have the flu virus and 23 others were taking the antiviral drug Tamiflu.



"The side effects of the flu vaccine usually occur within 10 to 30 minutes after injection, at the most no later than one day," said an official at Gangnam Public Health Center.

"Considering that their typical flu symptoms appeared four days after injection, we have concluded that they become ill from mass transmission."

Health officials added that it usually takes two weeks for the vaccine to fully protect a body from the flu virus.

Amid a report that a 16-year-old boy became paralyzed possibly resulting from getting vaccinated, concerns are growing over the side effects of the vaccination.

The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said that possible victims are entitled to government compensation even when the causal relationship between their illness and the vaccine is uncertain.

"When no other cause of abnormal symptoms is found, judicial precedent has ruled that the government must compensate the victims," said Bae Geun-ryang, head of the national vaccination plan, adding that many of the symptoms are difficult to clarify.

Depending on the extent of damages, up to 300,000 won ($259) is provided for treatment and more than 200 million won ($172,890) for death, officials said.

With the paralyzed boy recovering, no other severe cases of vaccine side effects have been reported here.

(jylee@heraldm.com)







By Lee Ji-yoon