Guillain-Barré Syndrome ‘More Common Than Expected’ With RSV Vaccine in Older People, CDC Reiterates
FDA saw this in the clinical trials but decided to recommend the vaccine--for a virus that only causes a cold in adults--for elders anyway
Reports of a rare nervous system disorder were “more common than expected” in older U.S. adults who got the new RSV vaccines, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Thursday that’s similar to what the organization said earlier this year.
The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say they’re evaluating any risks, but do not plan to change their recommendation for the RSV shots, which is that patients 60 and older should talk to their doctor and then decide whether to be vaccinated.
More than 10 million older adults have gotten either Pfizer or GSK single-dose shots since early August to protect against respiratory syncytial virus, which is a common cause of cold-like symptoms and can be dangerous for infants and older people.
An estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people develop Guillain-Barré syndrome in the U.S. each year — either after being infected by a virus or linked to a vaccination — and it’s more common in older people, according to the CDC. Most people fully recover, but some have permanent nerve damage.
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Guillain-Barre syndrome causes paralysis that is sometimes permanent and can kill. This is another vaccine that probably costs more lives than it saves.—Nass
