The Health Division will not suspend the swine flu vaccination programme because there is "no apparent relationship" between the unexpected death of a young man and the vaccine he took four days earlier.

Clayton Cachia, 23, may, according to the health authorities, have had an "underlying medical condition" but because of the "timely" coincidence between his death and his inoculation the Health Division was investigating the matter.

An autopsy was held on Thursday and the results of further tests are expected in the coming days.

Public Health director general Ray Busuttil yesterday said it was the division's "duty and responsibility to ensure the two are not linked".

"From the preliminary information available to us it appears the cause of death could have been due to an underlying medical condition," he said, adding the results of the investigation would be available soon.

To be sure of the exact cause of death, he said, one had to interpret the results holistically.

"The Health Division feels that, in the absence of any evidence linking the death and the vaccine it is not pertinent to suspend the vaccination programme," Dr Busuttil said, insisting the health authorities were still encouraging people to take the jab.

On Thursday, the health authorities confirmed they were investigating Mr Cachia's untimely death given the proximity to his inoculation adding that the link was "possibly coincidental".

However, the family yesterday reiterated that, although the autopsy results were not yet out, the doctors who had carried out the post-mortem had told them Mr Cachia's death had nothing to do with swine flu vaccines.

"We do not wish to enter into the merits of whether people should take the swine flu vaccine or not. We do not want to get into any controversy," the family said.

According to the division acute reactions to the vaccine are "normally expected within 24 to 48 hours from vaccination".

The division reported yesterday that the flow of people continued as usual with the total number of those vaccinated reaching 51,205 by noon.

Dr Busuttil said the health authorities were also consulting with "international institutions for information and advice" on the case.

Mr Cachia's death is subject to a magisterial inquiry as required by law when somebody dies suddenly and unexpectedly.

"All results of investigations belong to the court and can only be released with its permission," Dr Busuttil added.

Mr Cachia worked as a medical representative with a pharmaceutical company and was therefore considered as a healthcare worker, making him eligible for the vaccine.

The young man, described by his parents as perfectly healthy, went to work at 5 a.m. on Wednesday and collapsed a few hours later. He died later in hospital and his funeral was held yesterday.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.