Photo: Getty Images North America
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about the increased risk of Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological disorder, following the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The warning comes after 100 preliminary cases of the syndrome were reported among the 12.5 million doses administered. The agency noted that 95 of the cases were serious, which required hospitalization and there was one death. The FDA is updating vaccination materials for health care providers and patients to note an "association" between the vaccine and a risk of GBS. However, the agency. still recommends the vaccine to prevent health risks from COVID-19. The FDA said,
"Importantly, the FDA has evaluated the available information for the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and continues to find the known and potential benefits clearly outweigh the known and potential risks."
Johnson and Johnson has discussed the reports with federal regulators at the Food and Drug Administration. The company said in a statement,
"The chance of having this occur is very low, and the rate of reported cases exceeds the background rate by a small degree."
Photo Credit: Getty Images