Some people who received the Johnson & Johnson / Janssen COVID-19 vaccine (the one-dose vaccine) have developed a disease known as Guillain Barre Syndrome. It has happened often enough that the FDA has asked them to add a note on the patient information sheet, but it is still not considered changing the risk / benefit balance of vaccination. (All COVID vaccines are much safer than an actual COVID vaccine.)
What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome?
First, because it’s not obvious: The first word is pronounced “GEE-yawn” and the second rhymes with “Hurray”. People sometimes just call it GBS.
GBS is not new: it is already known to happen in around 1 in 100,000 people each year, and 60-80% of cases follow a bacterial or viral illness, such as flu or food poisoning, they say GBS-CIDP Foundation International. GBS is also a known and rare side effect of the flu vaccine, though You are more likely to get GBS from the actual flu than from the flu vaccine.
In GBS, the immune system attacks the isolation of our nerve cells. (When you think of the rubber coating around an electrical wire, each of our long, thin nerve cells is like that wire, and there are cells full of an insulating substance called myelin As a result, you may experience weakness or numbness in your legs, or nerve problems in other areas of the body that may include difficulty breathing or movement of the facial muscles.
Guillain-Barré is usually not life threatening or permanent, but this can vary. According to the GBS-CIDP Foundation, 90% of patients survive the acute phase of the disease within four weeks. During this phase, there are treatments that can limit the amount of nerve damage that occurs.
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After the acute phase, it takes some time to regain strength and nerve function, possibly months to years. Most people make a full recovery, but in some cases weakness, pain, or fatigue are left that never go away completely.
GBS can be a rare side effect of a COVID vaccine
The CDC and FDA have identified several cases of GBS in VAERS, the database that allows anyone to submit reports of possible vaccine side effects. This is the same database that anti-vaccine activists search for reports of deaths or other frightening diseases; the information contained therein has not been checked. But if a worrying symptom shows up enough times, the CDC contacts the investigation to investigate reports.
That’s how we found out the blood clots serious enough to warrant a break when giving the J&J vaccine this spring. (The next time you see someone who suggests that deaths or serious illnesses are being ignored in VAERS, remember. Reports of serious side effects that actually stand up to investigation are taken seriously.)
The FDA added this information the data sheet administered with the J&J vaccine:
Guillain-Barré syndrome (a neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causes muscle weakness, and sometimes paralysis) has occurred in some people who received the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Most of these people experienced symptoms within 42 days of receiving the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. The likelihood of this occurring is very small. You should see a doctor immediately if you develop any of the following symptoms after receiving the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine:
* Weakness or tingling, especially in the legs or arms, which get worse and spread to other parts of the body
* Difficulty walking
* Difficulty making facial movements, including speaking, chewing, or swallowing
Double vision or inability to move your eyes
* Difficulty controlling your bladder or bowel function
Should this change my decision about vaccination?
The risk of GBS after the J&J vaccination is still very low, and it’s just a little bit higher than the risk of GBS that you have as a person in this world right now. (Three to five times higher, but that means about three to five people per 100,000 instead of one per 100,000.)
The risks of the J&J vaccine or any other COVID vaccine are far lower than the risks of an actual COVID infection. Almost all COVID deaths in the US are from people who have not been vaccinatedSo if you are concerned about your health it is still better to get vaccinated than not to get it.
