Confirmed increase in ‘Guillain-Barré syndrome’, a serious neurological disease
A UK research team has identified “small but significant” cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare disease associated with AstraZeneca (AZ)’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Researchers at University College London, a world-renowned research university in the UK, believe that “many or all” of GBS cases in the UK reported between March and April last year were related to the first dose of the AZ vaccine administered in January of the same year.
Professor Michael Loon, who led the study, said on the 30th of last month (local time), “This phenomenon does not occur following another vaccine or second dose.”
According to the research team, there were a total of 996 cases of GBS in the UK from January to October last year, with an average of regarding 100 cases per month. However, in March and April, regarding 140 cases occurred, 40% more than this, indicating an unusually rapid increase.
To determine whether all or some of these cases were related to the first dose of the AZ vaccine, the team looked at the COVID-19 (hollow virus) vaccination records of all GBS patients.
As a result, 198 people (regarding 20% of the 996 cases in January-October) developed GBS within 6 weeks of vaccination.
Of these, 176 were vaccinated with the AZ vaccine, and 21 and 1 were vaccinated with the mRNA vaccines Pfizer and Moderna, respectively.
The research team expanded the scope of the investigation to January-July last year, and confirmed that the first dose of the AZ vaccine caused 98-140 cases of GBS per month. This means that there were more than 5.8 GBS cases per million doses (dose) of the AZ vaccine.
However, there was no significant increase in the incidence of GBS in those vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine (Pfizer/Modena).
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a neuroinflammatory disease caused by inflammation of peripheral nerves and the peeling of the myelin sheath, an insulating material. Fatigue, limb pain, and shortness of breath may come.
This disease is caused by the body’s immune system attacking its own nerves for unknown causes. It is known to be related to Campylobacter infection, which causes diarrhea. However, since 1976, cases have been reported following vaccination once morest swine flu vaccine, influenza vaccine, and yellow fever vaccine.
Patients who developed GBS following vaccination showed symptoms such as lethargy in the limbs, weakened deep tendon reflexes, and haptic sleep, but recovered within a few weeks.
However, one patient complained of facial paralysis and tingling pains in the limbs following the first inoculation, but improved, but two weeks following the second inoculation, the symptoms recurred and worsened than before.
“Some people may develop hypersensitivity reactions due to innate non-specific immunity,” said Prof. If so, similar risks apply to all types of vaccines.”
“Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the simian adenovirus vector, which is often used in vaccine development, including the AZ vaccine, may be the cause,” he added.
Reports of increased incidence of GBS following vaccination have also been reported in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average incidence of GBS in the United States is 1 to 2 per 100,000 people.
However, in a study published this year, the incidence of GBS within three weeks of vaccination with Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) was 32.4 per 100,000, a more than 30-fold increase from the average. The Janssen vaccine used an adenovirus vector like the AZ vaccine.
A spokesperson for AstraZeneca, the developer of the AZ vaccine, explained in an interview with the Epoch Times that “all types of vaccines are known to carry GBS risk factors.”
Spokesperson Lee emphasized, “The small number of cases of GBS that occurred following AZ vaccination seems to be similar to that found in the course of mass vaccination with other vaccines in the past.
“The AZ vaccine is estimated to have saved more than 1 million lives so far, preventing 50 million COVID-19 infections worldwide and preventing 50,000 hospitalizations,” she said.
“Several international organizations, including the American Emergency Medical Association (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), rate the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks,” he added.
Meanwhile, a research team at University College London, UK, who published the results of this study, is investigating whether there are other causes other than AZ vaccination.
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