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A Scottish schoolgirl who developed narcolepsy after having the swine flu vaccine is hoping to receive a £120,000 compensation payout from the government.Chloe Glasson, 14, from Fife falls asleep without warning between 25 and 30 times a day.
Chloe had the Pandemrix jab in November 2009 and started suffering the symptoms of narcolepsy just four months later.
Chloe Glasson (pictured with her mother, Rebecca), 14, developed narcolepsy after having the swine flu vaccine. She now falls asleep up to 30 times a day and suffers extreme mood swings and scary, vivid dreams
Campaigners believe she is one of dozens of youngsters across the UK who developed the condition after having the vaccine.
The government recently admitted for the first time that the injections can trigger narcolepsy in some cases.
It is believed ministers will announce on Friday that tests are to begin on sufferers to see if they qualify for compensation. Chloe's case is so severe that her family, from Kirkcaldy, are convinced the government will be forced to pay compensation.
Chloe said: ‘What hurts the most is when people see me in public and I'm starting to fall asleep and they look at me as if I'm drunk or have been taking drugs.
‘I am no different to anyone else in that I have still got feelings and I can see the way they are looking at me.
Chloe can no longer take public transport by herself, go swimming or have a bath. She has also had to drop two subjects at school as she couldn't keep up with the workload
‘I have still got hopes and dreams. I want to be a drama teacher when I'm older but I've really just got to take every day as it comes.’
Chloe says she also suffers mood swings and disturbing dreams as a result of her condition.
She said: ‘The emotions I feel are so extreme, I can go from being really happy and chatty to really annoyed to really upset in a few seconds and all it takes is one little thing to set it off.
‘The dreams I have when I'm asleep are really vivid, I can feel the pain in the dream and sometimes it even feels like someone is touching me, it's really terrifying.’
Chloe (pictured with her mother, Rebecca) is hoping to receive a £120,000 compensation payout from the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme
Chloe has already to drop two subjects at school because she cannot keep up with the workload.
She said: ‘When I go into auto pilot behaviour I don't really remember anything that happens, and luckily I've never been really hurt.’
Chloe, who was officially diagnosed with narcolepsy and catalepsy in December last year, added: ‘It can happen at any time.
‘Like standing up or sitting down. I've really been lucky that I've not hurt myself falling asleep while standing up and I ask myself everyday how I've managed.
‘At school I'll be sitting at my desk and this wave of tiredness takes over. Then you're eyes start to roll and droop and that's when you know what's about to happen. You just go out.
Chloe (pictured before her illness) said: 'What hurts the most is when people see me in public and I'm starting to fall asleep and they look at me as if I'm drunk or have been taking drugs'
‘It’s like a rollercoaster of emotions sometimes and at first it was really embarrassing.
‘No one really got what was going on so they would kind of laugh about it. Even the teachers joined in at first. I've been reduced to tears so many times.’
Chloe’s mother, Rebecca, said: ‘It's just frustrating that it's taken them this long to admit there is a link.
‘Almost everyone involved knew that was the case and we're just trying to prove it. You just start to blame yourself.’
She added: ‘Chloe had to get the vaccine because she is asthmatic but now she's left with this condition for the rest of her life.
The UK Government recently admitted that the Pandemrix jab could be to blame in certain cases of narcolepsy
‘The scariest moment so far was when Chloe went missing for over two hours. She was meant to meet my mum in town but went into an automatic behaviour state and disappeared.
‘We were all frantic with worry and I had to call the police.’
Ms Glasson said the falling asleep was not even the biggest problem.
Chloe now also suffers from the debilitating muscle condition cataplexy.
Ms Glasson said: ‘Her cataplexy means she can collapse at any time and there is so many day to day things that we take for granted that she can't do.
It is thought that for every 55,000 children who were given the injection, one has developed narcolepsy
‘No bubble bath, no swimming and she can't even use public transport on her own. She fell asleep on a bus once and ended up miles away.
‘For us it’s not just about the compensation, it’s about making Chloe's life better. We want people to realise what she's dealing with and to help make her feel more accepted.
‘Chloe is a really, really bright kid and she loves drama and art but it’s really unfair that she has had to drop two subjects.
‘It's been life changing for Chloe and the rest of the family.’
Since 2011 the vaccine has not been given to people under the age of 20 because of the risk of narcolepsy
The UK Government recently admitted that the Pandemrix jab could be to blame in certain cases of narcolepsy.
Families will get £120,000 through the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme if they can prove 'severe' disability.
WHAT IS NARCOLEPSY AND HOW IS IT LINKED TO THE VACCINE?
Narcolepsy, which occurs in one in every 2,000 people, is a sleep disorder that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times.
It is a long-term neurological condition that disrupts normal sleeping patterns.
Symptoms include, sleep attacks, daytime sleepiness and cataplexy - temporary muscle weakness in response to emotion.
It is often caused by an autoimmune response - this is when antibodies are released by the body but instead of destroying disease, they attack healthy cells.
In the case of narcolepsy, antibodies attack the areas of the brain that produce a sleep-regulating chemical.
There is currently no cure but the condition can sometimes be managed, for example, by taking regular naps, eating healthily and exercising. In some cases, medications such as antidepressants or stimulants can also help.
It is thought that for every 55,000 children who were given the jab, Pandemrix, one has developed narcolepsy.
Researchers, who published their findings in the British Medical Journal, studied 75 children with narcolepsy and found that 11 of these had received the vaccine before their symptoms began.
The vaccine is associated with a 14-fold increase in a child's risk of developing the condition.
Since 2011, the Department of Health has prevented the use of Pandemrix in people under the age of 20.
It is a long-term neurological condition that disrupts normal sleeping patterns.
Symptoms include, sleep attacks, daytime sleepiness and cataplexy - temporary muscle weakness in response to emotion.
It is often caused by an autoimmune response - this is when antibodies are released by the body but instead of destroying disease, they attack healthy cells.
In the case of narcolepsy, antibodies attack the areas of the brain that produce a sleep-regulating chemical.
There is currently no cure but the condition can sometimes be managed, for example, by taking regular naps, eating healthily and exercising. In some cases, medications such as antidepressants or stimulants can also help.
It is thought that for every 55,000 children who were given the jab, Pandemrix, one has developed narcolepsy.
Researchers, who published their findings in the British Medical Journal, studied 75 children with narcolepsy and found that 11 of these had received the vaccine before their symptoms began.
The vaccine is associated with a 14-fold increase in a child's risk of developing the condition.
Since 2011, the Department of Health has prevented the use of Pandemrix in people under the age of 20.
Researchers, who published their findings in the British Medical Journal, studied 75 children with narcolepsy and found that 11 of these had received the vaccine before their symptoms began.
Since 2011 it has not been given to people under the age of 20 because of the risk of narcolepsy.
The UK Health Protection Agency has found that giving the jab to young children increases their chance of developing narcolepsy by 14 times.
Narcolepsy affects the brain's ability to regulate the normal sleep-wake cycle, causing excessive sleepiness throughout the day.
The long term neurological condition can cause sleep attacks, daytime sleepiness and, in some cases, cataplexy.
There is no cure for narcolepsy but medication is available to help manage the symptoms, which cause side effects such as nausea, hallucinations and headaches.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed they had written to four families previously rejected for compensation inviting them to reapply.
Saying individual cases could not be discussed, he added: ‘The Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme provides support in the very rare cases where someone becomes severely disabled as a result of a vaccination.
‘Decisions on vaccine damage payments claims take into account the individual circumstances of each case and the latest available accepted medical evidence.
‘DWP has looked at some vaccine damage payments cases again in light of new information regarding swine flu and narcolepsy provided by the Department for Health.
‘Once this new information was taken into account it was decided, on balance of probability, in some cases that causation was proved.
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