Guillain-Barré syndrome ‘more common than expected’ with Rsv vaccine in older adults, CDC reiterates

NEW YORK (AP) — Reports of a rare nervous system disorder were “more common than expected” among older U.S. adults who received the new RSV vaccines, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday and similar to what the organization said. earlier this year.

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Government officials still say the benefits of the shots still outweigh the risks.

The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say they are evaluating the risks but do not plan to change their recommendation for RSV shots that patients 60 and older should talk to their doctors and then decide to get vaccinated.

More than 10 million older people have received single-dose Pfizer or GSK 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 the elderly.

Health officials estimated there were about two cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in every million people who received the RSV vaccine within three weeks of the shot.

The new CDC report focused on 28 cases of the syndrome in vaccinated people, and all but one developed symptoms within 21 days. This translates to 1.5 cases per million people who received the GSK RSV vaccine and five cases per million in people who received the Pfizer vaccine.

CDC officials presented similar findings on RSV injections and Guillain-Barré syndrome at a public meeting in February.

An estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people develop Guillain-Barré syndrome each year in the United States – either after being infected with a virus or following a vaccination – and it is more common in older adults, according to the CDC. Most people recover completely, but some experience permanent nerve damage.