Adverse reactions to H1N1 vaccine showing

OTTAWA, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Serious adverse reactions and at least one death have been attributed to the H1N1 flu vaccine in Canada, the country's top doctor said.

At an Ottawa news conference, Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer, said the death involved an elderly person who went into a severe allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine, the Canwest News Service reported Wednesday.

He said the most common side effects include allergic reactions, fever, and convulsions that require hospitalization.

Those symptoms have been reported in 36 Canadians of 6.6 million shots given so far since the virus originally called swine flu emerged in Mexico in April.

However, Butler-Jones said the rate of reactions is lower than those seen in widespread vaccinations for seasonal flu, the report said.

"It's important to remember that just because a medical event follows vaccination, it may not have been caused by the vaccine," Butler-Jones said. "Events are carefully investigated to determine if they were related to the vaccine directly, or if they were caused by an underlying health condition or some other reason."

He said 198 Canadians are confirmed to have died of the H1N1 virus so far.

The worldwide toll is more than 6,000, health officials report.