“Get the flu shot,” Thai FDA eases worries after post-injection deaths in South Korea

Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration is trying to ease the public’s fears over influenza vaccines after 59 people in South Korea reportedly died sometime after getting the flu shot (although there’s no evidence so far that links the vaccine to the deaths.) FDA deputy secretary general Surachoke Tangwiwat says that vaccine has never been imported to Thailand, adding that people “should not panic and still get vaccinated against influenza once a year.”

“Please trust in FDA’s quality control and health surveillance capability. If something goes wrong, we will alert the public immediately.”

Of the 59 deaths reported in South Korea, most involved people in their 70s and 80s with serious health conditions, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported. So far, the agency has investigated 46 of the cases and says there is no evidence linking the vaccine to their deaths, adding that most had serious health conditions that could account for the cause of death. South Korea is still offering the flu shot while the investigation continues.

Surachoke says assures the public that the vaccines imported to Thailand from South Korea are not the vaccines related to the post-injection deaths.

“The FDA and Department of Medical Sciences perform extensive tests before allowing imported drugs to be used domestically… The FDA will monitor the situation closely and will immediately recall any vaccines from the market if there are signs that they can be dangerous.”

SOURCES: Nation Thailand | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention