Link between swine flu vaccine and GB syndrome is weak

Posted In:  Vaccines

Publish Date:  March 14, 2013

Vaccinations for the 2009 H1N1 “swine” flu outbreak saved an estimated 500 lives — and may have caused 77 people to develop Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) — a temporary, but serious paralytic autoimmune disorder, a new study finds.

Researchers led by Dr. Bruce Gellin of the National Vaccine Program Office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analyzed a survey of 23 million people in the U.S and found that cases of GBS were about twice as likely to occur in the six weeks following vaccination as they were later on.

According to the study, for every 1 million who received the monovalent H1N1 vaccination, there were an extra 1.6 cases of the syndrome, which occurs when the immune system attacks nerve cells. It should be noted that this increase was found only with this particular vaccine—produced specifically in response to the 2009 pandemic— not the normal trivalent (three strains) vaccine that is given annually….To Read More....