Chancellor of Justice rejects damages following swine flu vaccine injuries

The Chancellor of Justice has now decided to reject claims for damages from those who suffered narcolepsy after being injected with the swine flu vaccine, on the grounds that the Swedish state “did not violate any rights”.

After the swine flu outbreak in 2009, the Pandemrix vaccine started to be distributed to the population. In Sweden, around 60% of the population was vaccinated, but the following year, reports of suspected cases of narcolepsy in children and young people associated with the vaccine began to emerge. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) initially dismissed the link, but a major Swedish study found an increased risk of narcolepsy, particularly in children and young people, after taking the swine flu vaccine.

Earlier this year, 500 people who suffered illness after the vaccine, along with 1500 of their relatives, sued the Swedish government for SEK 363 million in damages. The reason was that they felt that the state had not complied with the European Convention on Human Rights when it came to providing information about the risks of the vaccine.

The Chancellor of Justice has now ruled that the Swedish state is not liable for damages to the victims. They say that the state had no obligation to inform about the “then unknown increased risk” of narcolepsy. On the other hand, they also consider that there was no obligation to provide information about the clinical tests that were carried out beforehand.

“Nor did the State have any obligation to provide specific information on the test procedure established in the EU prior to the authorization of the vaccine. Therefore, the State has not violated any rights”, they write in a press release.