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Guillan-Barre Syndrome Linked to Swine Flu Vaccine?
Guillan-barre syndrome is an autoimmune disease that attacks the nerves, causing partial or complete paralysis, occasionally death. Some scientists fear that a new pandemic vaccine could cause new cases of GBS.
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Unlike a stroke, GBS affects both sides of the body. It usually begins with weakness and numbness or tingling in the feet or legs and gradually extends higher and higher on the body—taking hours, days or weeks to do so.
In about 30% of Guillain-Barre cases, the patient will need to be placed on a ventilator or breathing machine. In a few, very severe cases, Guillain-barre syndrome patients will experience total paralysis of the respiratory system, suffocate, and die.
CDC Says Swine Flu Vaccine Should Be Safe
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) does not anticipate that there will be new cases of Guillan-barre syndrome, but they have asked the AAN (American Academy of Neurology and its associated neurologists to report any potential new cases of GBS after swine flu vaccination, as part of the CDC’s national vaccine safety monitoring campaign.
In the U.S., reporting is done on a volunteer basis, as part of the FDA Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Neurologists are being asked to report any suspect cases, following swine flu vaccination.
In other countries, such as Great Britain, reporting of any suspect cases of GBS is mandatory.
British Doctors Express Concern Guillain-Barre Cases from Vaccine
In addition to concerns over insufficient testing and lack of knowledge about the new vaccine's effect on children, British doctors are concerned that Guillain-barre syndrome could emerge again, as it did in 1976, following swine flu vaccination for the "pandemic swine flu"--that ended up killing only one person.
In fact, Great Britain seems to be getting more information about the connection of Guillain-barre syndrome to swine flu vaccine:
Two Letters Written to British Doctors Leaked to the Press
Two letters written to doctors in Great Britain, were recently leaked to the press. The HPA letters, sent to 600 neurologists, reminded the physicians of the 1976 swine flu vaccine administered in the U.S. and told them to report any GBS symptoms seen in their patients.
A number of health professionals are concerned that the same scenario as seen in 1976, could occur again. “I would not have the swine flu jab because of the GBS risk,” a senior neurologist told the Mail.
The letters to the physicians noted the lack of testing on the new vaccine and called on neurologists to monitor and report every incident of Guillan-barre Syndrome so the product could be withdrawn if problems were identified.
Dr. Tom Jefferson is co-ordinator of the vaccines section of the Cochrane Collaboration. The Cochrane group is a non-profit, international group that reviews clinical evidence and research to provide information that can be used to make intelligent medical and health decisions. Dr. Jefferson's opinion is that,
“New vaccines never behave in the way you expect them to. It may be that there is a link to GBS (guillan-barre syndrome), which is certainly not something I would wish on anybody.”
“But it could end up being anything because one of the additives in one of the vaccines is a substance called squalene, and none of the studies we’ve extracted have any research on it at all.”
Should You Get the Swine Flu Vaccine?
Will there be cases of Guillan-barre syndrome? The jury is still out on this one. Some scientists are concerned that we will have a repeat of the
1976 flu vaccine deaths
because the vaccine is very similar to the one used then. Others believe that, with new technology, we will be safe.
