Health Chiefs Warn Vaccine Rolled Out To Millions ‘May Cause Serious Neurological Illness’

A new vaccine which is being offered to millions of pensioners and pregnant women could trigger a serious neurological condition, according to officials.

The warning, issued by US health chiefs, concerns a jab that protects against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which was rolled out to vulnerable people in the UK for the first time last year.

In Britain, the RSV vaccine Abrysvo, made by Pfizer, is being offered to older adults aged 75 to 79 to help protect them against serious respiratory infections.

Pregnant women past 28 weeks have even been advised to get the jab as it passes on protective anti-RSV antibodies to newborn children.

The Mail Online reports: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said results of an American study suggested two types of RSV jab carry a significant increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome — a disabling condition that causes damage to nerves — 42 days after vaccination.

While still recommending the jabs for eligible adults, the FDA officials said Guillain-Barré syndrome would now be listed as a risk in leaflets given to patients.

In the UK, the condition is already noted as a potential complication in patient information, however not all of those who receive the jab will be warned verbally of the risks. 

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a bug that causes coughs and colds in most people, but can be potentially deadly for the elderly as well as young babies. 

RSV, which is spread by coughs and sneezes, hospitalises about 30,000 children and 18,000 adults in the UK every year, due to serious breathing complications like pneumonia.

Around 100 children die from the virus each winter. It’s also estimated to contribute to the deaths of 8,000 adults over the same period due to the increased strain the infection puts on patient’s hearts, causing the organ to fail.

In the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study, officials combed through vaccine reaction data on two RSV jabs, called Abrysvo and Arexvy, documented between May 2023 and July last year. 

They found that for Abrysvo, the type of RSV jab offered in the UK, there were an additional nine cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome per every million doses of the vaccine dished out. 

For Arexvy, there was an additional seven cases of the syndrome per million doses. 

This is significantly more than the equivalent for the flu vaccine, which generates one to two cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome per million vaccine doses.

However, the FDA added that the new study didn’t change the current advice — the benefits of RSV vaccination outweighs the risks for vulnerable groups. 

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a poorly understood condition.

It occurs when the body’s immune system, which normally protects people from infection, mistakenly attacks healthy nerve cells.

Initial signs include a tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, which is followed by muscle weakness and difficulties moving in the following weeks. 

In some cases, it can lead to problems breathing, facial paralysis and impaired vision.