Fever-Reducing Drug Could Weaken H1N1 Vaccine
Image: YLE / Petri Aaltonen
A popular fever-reducing medicine could weaken the effects of the swine flu vaccine in young children. According to a Czech study, children who are administered paracetamol following vaccinations have a reduced response to the vaccine, reports the newspaper Turun Sanomat and the Finnish Medical Journal.
Panadol is one of the medicines sold in Finland that contain paracetamol.
The research did not study the drug's effects on the swine flu vaccine. However Terhi Kilpi, a physician at the National Institute for Health and Welfare, says the study indicates that paracetamol could reduce the effectiveness of the H1N1 inoculation.
“The significance of this study is not yet known. Perhaps it's wise to tell people that giving fever-reducing medication after getting vaccinated, but before the onset of a fever would not be the thing to do, according to this study,” she says.
YLE