Why do some people think that COVID vaccines cause Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)?
The usual suspects…
Do COVID Vaccines Cause Guillain-Barré Syndrome?
Surprisingly, unlike most other things you hear about vaccines from folks like Sherri Tenpenny, the idea that some COVID vaccines might be associated with GBS might be true.
“Today, the FDA is announcing revisions to the vaccine recipient and vaccination provider fact sheets for the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine to include information pertaining to an observed increased risk of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) following vaccination.”
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: July 13, 2021
After all, the FDA did recently issue a warning about GBS and the Janseen COVID-19 vaccine.
Still, that doesn’t mean that any COVID vaccine actually causes Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
“It is important to understand that the reporting system used was the VAERS system (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). This is a passive reporting system whereby patients, families and health care providers can report a case of GBS. In past studies, patients were reported as having GBS when the disease was later determined to be another disorder. Further analysis of the data will be necessary to determine if all of the patients truly developed GBS.”
COVID-19 Vaccines and the GBS|CIDP Community
To understand that, just know that the FDA warning was based on reports to VAERS, a passive reporting system.
We will get much more information once the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meets to review the VAERS data, plus data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink system and VaST.
“To date, no cases of GBS have been reported following vaccination in participants in the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. One case of GBS was reported in a vaccinated participant in the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine clinical trial (compared to one GBS case among those who received placebo).”
COVID-19 Vaccines for People with Underlying Medical Conditions
Most importantly, know that this warning of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (there have been 100 preliminary reports of GBS following vaccination with the Janssen vaccine after approximately 12.5 million doses administered) is not a reason to skip or delay getting vaccinated against COVID.
“Although the available evidence suggests an association between the Janssen vaccine and increased risk of GBS, it is insufficient to establish a causal relationship. No similar signal has been identified with the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.”
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: July 13, 2021
Especially as more and more unvaccinated people are getting COVID as the delta variant spreads.
And yes, COVID-19 infections themselves, like many other natural infections, may be associated with Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
More on COVID Vaccines and Guillain-Barré Syndrome
- Can Vaccines Cause Guillain-Barre Syndrome?
- The Truth About COVID-19 Vaccines
- Side Effects After the Second Dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine
- Fact Checking a Report of a Toddler COVID-19 Vaccine Death
- Has There Been an Increase in Reports of Deaths in VAERS?
- I’m Not Anti-Vaccine, I Just Don’t Believe in the COVID-19 Vaccine
- FDA – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: July 13, 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccines and the GBS|CIDP Community
- CDC – COVID-19 Vaccines for People with Underlying Medical Conditions
- FDA – The Janssen Covid-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers
- COVID-19-associated Guillain-Barré syndrome: The early pandemic experience
- Guillain-Barre syndrome during COVID-19 pandemic: an overview of the reports
- COVID-19-associated Guillain-Barre syndrome: Postinfectious alone or neuroinvasive too?