Boy, eight, left with rare sleep disorder after having swine flu jab which makes him nod off up to seven times a day

  • Harrison Kershaw has developed narcolepsy and cataplexy
  • Vaccine-makers GlaxoSmithKline are being sued on behalf of 38 Brits

By Abigail Frymann

PUBLISHED: 06:26 EST, 7 December 2013 | UPDATED: 06:33 EST, 7 December 2013

All change: Harrison Kershaw, 8, has developed narcolepsy and cataplexy since having the swine flu jab in 2010

All change: Harrison Kershaw, 8, has developed narcolepsy and cataplexy since having the swine flu jab in 2010

A football-loving boy has developed a rare sleeping disorder that means he has to sleep up to seven times a day - after having an inoculation against swine flu.

Harrison Kershaw was a happy youngster, and like many boys, loved nothing more than a game of football.

But that was before he had his jab three years ago.

Harrison, now aged eight, has narcolepsy and cataplexy, meaning he can collapse into sleep up to seven times a day.

His mother, Leanne, who lives in Farnworth, Greater Manchester, says he is now 'unrecognisable' to the son she knew before the injection.

She said: 'A month after he was given the injection I noticed he started to sleep a lot more in the day, and when he was overcome with emotion his muscles would flop.

'Now he has doubled in weight and is unrecognisable to before he had the vaccine.'

Harrison, a pupil at the Cherry Tree Primary School in Farnworth, now has to have two planned naps a day at school, and his parents, Leanne and Simon, have to take a wheelchair with them in case he falls asleep and collapses.

 

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Family affair: Harrison's parents, Leanne and Simon Kershaw, have to take a wheelchair with him to school in case he falls asleep and collapses

Family affair: Harrison's parents, Leanne and Simon Kershaw, have to take a wheelchair with him to school in case he falls asleep and collapses

Harrison's behaviour has also been severely affected by the condition.

Leanne added: 'When someone with narcolepsy wakes up, it can feel like they've not slept for more than 72 hours.

'This means Harrison's behaviour can be very challenging because he feels exhausted and can be very grumpy.

'Unrecognisable': Harrison's mother says her son's behaviour has changed since he developed the rare disorders

'Unrecognisable': Harrison's mother says her son's behaviour has changed since he developed the rare disorders

'Normal sleep just doesn't keep him going and if he misses anything at school, he will never be able to catch up. Even though he is on medication to keep him awake, he still feels constantly tired.

'If we are in the car he will fall asleep, and sometimes he will fall asleep while he's eating, which means we have to make sure he doesn't choke.

'It can be hard to deal with but it's not his fault. He can't help the way he behaves.'

Harrison's narcolepsy meant he had to stop playing at his football team and now plays for a disability team.

Leanne has since met with the parents of 18 other children who developed narcolepsy after having the flu jab.

Law firm Hodge Jones & Allen have now started legal action against Pandemrix manufacturers GlaxoSmithKline on behalf of Harrison and 37 other Britons.

A spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline said: 'Patient safety is our number one priority and we are actively researching how narcolepsy is triggered and how this vaccine might have interacted with other risk factors in affected individuals.

'We hope these ongoing research efforts will enable us to provide more answers.' 

Comments (35)

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Wonder how many children who haven't had the flu vaccine have developed narcolepsy? The flu vaccine is vital for my son, as one dose of the flu could kill him, so I'll take my chances (and have done since it was introduced, with no problems). I also wonder what underlying medical condition this child already had, to mean he would need the vaccine? - maybe that's the place to start if you're looking for blame.

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They keep telling us all these jabs are safe....so why have we got more autistic kids than ever?

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Have they tested for glandular or thyroid disorders? Sounds like it could be endocrine related

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After educating myself, vaccine wise, my youngest daughter has not been vaccinated. She eats a healthy diet and apart from a few snuffles, is never ill. No allergies, very intelligent and shakes a cold off very quickly. Vaccinations carry a lot of dangerous ingredients and do cause a lot if dude effects, many cine out far later in life. How many people do you know have had the flu vaccination and catch the flu? Laughable isn't it? They want to cull us, we're not worth anything to society when we stop making society money. Vaccinations only hinder old age.

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I am positive the VP Joe Biden is suffering from a severe form of this disorder. Hopefully it is covered under ObamaCare. Period.

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At least the parents will get some peace

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Poor guy....I hope he gets back to feeling normal soon.

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Why did he have the swine flu jab in the first place? Does he have other underlying health issues which have caused the narcolepsy ? - WJS, UK, 12/7/13, 11:58 AM Here in America most people have the flu shot, not just the elderly or vulnerable. I don't think that's the case in Britain. The swine flu shot, or H1N1 as it was called here, was offered along with the flu shot a couple of years ago when this flu was rife. Everyone was terrified of catching it.

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I know some are going to be dead against my comment because they have no knowledge of such things and will simply feel sorry for this lad, but..I am willing to bet he actually has Sleep Apnea and that has nothing to do with any Flu Jab. I doubt that he has been tested simply because he snores.......so what? Well, it could easily be putting his life at risk...to the point he is already passing out.

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In Scandinavia there are hundreds of cases of narcolepsy amongst kids and teenagers after the swine flu jabs. Here everybody, regardless of health, was encouraged to have the jab and many are now struggling with court cases against the pharmaceutical companies, not to mention the health struggles they are going through...

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