New Johnson & Johnson Covid Vaccine Alarm: According to the Food and Drug Administration, it could lead to a rare and potentially dangerous neurological reaction known as Guillain-Barre syndrome, an immune system disorder that can cause muscle weakness and occasionally paralysis . Health officials described the side effect as a “small possible risk” for those who received the injection. The risk is reported to be three to five times higher among those vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The announcement comes after the FDAE and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at reports of about 100 people who developed the syndrome after receiving the single-dose vaccine. Almost all of them required hospitalization and one person died.
Guillain-Barre syndrome occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks some of its nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis that is usually temporary. According to the CDC, about 3,000-6,000 people develop the syndrome each year. The number of cases reported in connection with the J&J vaccine represents a small fraction of the nearly 13 million Americans who have received the one-dose injection. Most cases have been reported in men – many aged 50 and over – and usually about two weeks after vaccination.
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