Health regulator issues warning as vaccine given to millions is linked to debilitating illness
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued the alert for two versions of a jab that protects against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
This alert was issued after reports of 21 patients—all over 60—developing Guillain-Barré syndrome after being vaccinated.
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare but serious neurological disorder which needs urgent treatment in hospital to prevent it progressing.
It can affect people's senses, movement, breathing and heartbeat and usual starts in the arms and legs before spreading to other areas.
The alert doesn't mean the jab has been withdrawn, just that staff need to inform patients of the link so any who develop the reaction get the help they need as soon as possible.
In fact, experts said the benefits of being protected against RSV, which kills 8,000 adults and 100 babies each year and hospitalises many more, outweighs the small risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, so it is still recommended to get it if offered.
The MHRA issued the alert for both the Abrysvo RSV jab—made by Pfizer of Covid vaccine fame—and another RSV jab called Arexvy, made by GSK.
Abrysvo is available in the NHS while latter is available privately.
The MHRA alert reads: 'Healthcare professionals should advise all recipients of Abrysvo and Arexvy that they should be alert to signs and symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome and, if they occur, to seek immediate medical attention as it requires urgent treatment in hospital.'
While warnings that the jab may cause the syndrome are included in patient safety information leaflets NHS staff will now have to warn patients directly.
The watchdog's warning follows a similar one issued by US health chiefs who in January.
Like UK experts, American officials also said while awareness of the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome was important taking jab if eligible was still recommended.
Symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome can include tingling, numbness or pins and needles in feet and hands, muscle weakness and difficulty moving joints.
There may also be problems breathing and drooping face muscles or trouble swallowing or speaking.
Up to June 2, the MHRA has received 21 Yellow Card reports of suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome in older adults, aged 75-79 where known, after they were given an Abrysvo vaccine.
This out of almost 2million doses of Abrysvo administered, it said.
The MHRA has not received any Yellow Card reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome following Arexvy, however it noted there has been very limited use of this vaccine in the UK to date.
The 'Yellow Card' scheme allows officials to track potential adverse reactions to medications approved for use in the UK and spot emerging patterns.
Every drug approved for use in Britain has to go through safety trials before being made available to the public.
But there is an unavoidable risk that rare reactions may have been missed, which is where the Yellow Card system comes in.
If a worrying pattern emerges it can lead to drugs' approval being reviewed, having new warnings added to the labels or the medication potentially being taken off the market completely.
As anyone can use the system—patients as well as their medics—a reaction being linked to a vaccine or drug is not proof it was responsible.
The MHRA highlights that some reactions may simply be coincidence.
For example, a patient given an RSV jab may develop Guillain-Barre syndrome, but the vaccine itself may not be responsible.
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a poorly understood condition.
It occurs when the body's immune system, which normally protects people from infection, mistakenly attacks healthy nerve cells.
While most patients recover within a year, some are left with permanent nerve damage.
What triggers the immune system to attack nerve cells in Guillain-Barré syndrome isn't understood.
But, as the syndrome can also occur following an infection with a virus or bacteria, some experts suspect it's caused by a misfiring of the immune system in response to a foreign substance, be that a pathogen or a vaccine.
Such reactions, from both infections or RSV vaccines, are rare, with the risk estimated to be about one in every 1,000.
RSV vaccines, which were only approved in the UK last year, offer protection to older adults and babies who are at increased risk of becoming seriously ill if infected.
The virus can cause dangerous breathing problems in babies as well as pneumonia in older people, both of which may require hospital stays.
RSV jabs are offered to pregnant women so that the protection passes to the developing baby, reducing their risk of severe infection by about 70 per cent.
Government data shows that 62 per cent of eligible older adults and about half of pregnant offered the RSV vaccine on the NHS in England had the jab.
The latest NHS data—for the 2023-2024 financial year—recorded about 3,000 admissions for Guillain-Barré syndrome in England's hospitals though some cases could be the same patient needing to admitted multiple times that year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Experts reveal the exact science-backed workout you should do to lose weight
Finding it difficult to keep up with your summer workout goals? Your personality may be to blame. Based on an eight-week experiment, researchers from the University College London have discovered that matching your exercise routine to your personality could make it more enjoyable and give you better results. The scientists measured strength levels, as well as the prominence of different personality traits during the study. They found that extroverts preferred high-intensity workouts, while people who tend to worry favored short bursts of activity and saw greater stress reduction from exercise. The scientists also pointed out that the most important part about exercising was doing something that brought joy to you. Study author Dr Flaminia Ronca from UCL Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health said: 'We found some clear links between personality traits and the type of exercise the participants enjoyed most, which I think is important because we could potentially use this knowledge to tailor physical activity recommendations to the individual – and hopefully help them to become and remain more active. 'Our brains are wired in different ways, which drives our behaviors and how we interact with our environment. 'So it's not surprising that personality would also influence how we respond to different intensities of exercise.' The American Heart Association recommends adults engage in moderate-intensity aerobic activity for about 150 minutes per week, including 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week. For this study, the team divided 86 volunteers with a range of fitness levels and backgrounds into two groups. The first group, consisting of 25 people, was provided with an eight-week home-based fitness plan made up of cycling and strength training. The other group of 51 people continued their usual lifestyle and were only asked to stretch twice a week. During the exercise program, all participants were also asked to rate their enjoyment of each exercise session. Variations in their strength before and after the experiment was also measured through push ups, the ability to hold a plank and jumping. This was followed by a low intensity cycling session for 30 minutes and then a cycling test to measure their oxygen capacity. Additionally, scientists also studied participants' personality traits, including sociability, diligence, agreeableness, openness and negative emotions such as fear of failure, anxiety and self doubt in each participant by asking them to answer a questionnaire. The team also assessed their perceived stress levels on a scale of one to 10. Results showed that those who scored high on diligence and openness were found to engage in exercise regardless of whether they enjoyed it or were driven by curiosity to try a new workout respectively. Participants who were found to be very diligent also tended to have a well-rounded fitness level - meaning they scored higher on aerobic fitness as well as core strength - and were generally more physically active. While those who showed more anxiety and self doubt preferred private workouts and needed short breaks in between their sessions. Notably, the study also showed that the stress levels in people who experienced negative emotions significantly decreased after they began working out on their own or in private sessions. Dr Ronca said: 'It's fantastic news, as it highlights that those who benefit the most from a reduction in stress respond very well to exercise.' Senior author Professor Paul Burgess from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience explained: 'We found that people who scored more highly in the neuroticism personality trait showed a particularly strong reduction in stress when they undertook the fitness training recommended in the study. 'This suggests that there may be particular benefits in stress reduction for those with this trait.' Previous research shows that people with anxiety and stress may find private exercise particularly more enjoyable than working out in a group as it makes them feel less conscious and removes worry about being judged or compared to others. Those who showed more anxiety and self doubt preferred private workouts and needed short breaks in between their sessions This allows them to feel more in control and they are able to focus more on their personal needs and preferences - which in turn, leads to their stress levels to decrease. Additionally, people who were very social and outgoing enjoyed high intensity sessions with others around such as high intensity interval training (HIIT), team sports and intense cycling The researchers noted that all 86 participants ended the study noticeably stronger and fitter by the time after the eight weeks. Professor Burgess added: 'We hope that if people can find physical activities that they enjoy they will more readily choose to do them. 'After all, we don't have to nag dogs to go for a walk: being so physically inactive that we start to feel miserable might be a peculiarly human thing to do. In effect, our body punishes us by making us miserable. 'But for some reason, many of us humans seem poor at picking up on these messages it is sending to our brain.' The study was published in Frontiers in Psychology on July 7.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Peter Andre's wife Emily reveals she suffered rare complication while giving birth
Dr Emily Andre has opened up for the first time about the terrifying ordeal she faced after giving birth to her youngest daughter, Arabella. The NHS doctor, 35, who shares three children with husband Peter Andre -Millie, 11, Theo, eight, and 15-month-old Arabella- became visibly emotional as she recalled the experience during an appearance on Happy Mum Happy Baby, the podcast hosted by Giovanna Fletcher. Emily, who is also stepmother to Peter's older children Junior, 19, and Princess, 18, from his marriage to Katie Price, said the traumatic experience has 'cemented' their decision not to have any more children. 'I haven't really spoken about her birth and what happened afterwards because it was so hard and awful,' she said. 'It was tough. I was really unwell after she was born, there was quite a lot of complications.' Just a week after Arabella's birth, Emily was rushed back into hospital for emergency surgery, after developing a rare and potentially life-threatening type of hernia. 'Basically part of my bowels were kind of in the wrong place,' she explained. 'It was quite large, and the type of hernia it was can strangulate quite easily, which makes it an emergency.' 'All the consultants I've seen have said, 'We've never seen this in our whole career,' and then I think, 'For God's sake, why did it have to happen to me?'' Emily said she knew something wasn't right almost immediately after giving birth. 'I had a big, huge lump in my tummy sticking right out,' she said. A week later, a surgeon confirmed the seriousness of the situation. 'He looked and said, 'You need to come into hospital now.'' Shocked, she pleaded to go home to prepare and express milk, saying the thought of being separated from newborn Arabella was unbearable. 'I was breastfeeding, so I thought, 'My God, how am I going to feed her if I'm on the operating table?'' Despite being in severe pain, Emily said the worst part was handing Arabella over to her mum before surgery. 'I was a right mess, it was really hard.' In a bittersweet twist, she recalled one moment that brought a smile during the chaos: Learning that she was in the same operating theatre where Peter once had surgery performed by her father, a urologist. The couple met through Emily's father. 'The porter said, 'You know, I brought Pete here into this theatre. This was exactly where he lay and this is the room where he met your dad.' It was just such a nice moment and it took my mind off everything.' The recovery was slow and painful, involving extensive stitching and internal repairs. Emily spent several days in hospital but was thankful to recover on a midwife ward, which allowed Arabella to stay with her. 'That was all I was thinking about – 'Don't take my baby away from me.' I do find it really hard [to be away from her]. I've got quite good at the daytime, but there's something about the night and putting her to bed…' More Trending Now, more than a year on, Emily says she feels 'pretty much back to health' and praised Peter, her parents, and the medical staff who supported her through the ordeal. But she said she hasn't made a complete emotional recovery. She hasn't spent a night apart from Arabella since the surgery and says the experience has made it crystal clear that their family is complete. 'It's a definite no from me, we're not having any more. It's absolutely cemented now,' she said. 'We always said it would be the last anyway. Five's enough – we don't have any more bedrooms in the house for starters!' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Katie Price slams 'pathetic' ex Peter Andre after being banned from daughter's birthday
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Neil Gray blasted for 'disgusting spin' on worst cancer wait times ever recorded
Neil Gray has been accused of a 'grotesque' attempt to 'spin' the worst ever cancer waiting times by hiding behind a statistic now exposed as another record failure. The SNP health secretary was urged to apologise yesterday after his 'crass' and 'desperate' bid to distract the public was revealed by the Lib Dems. The row blew up as Mr Gray faced further criticism over the Government's apparent inability to get a grip on waiting times in A&E. Public Health Scotland reported almost a third of patients waiting too long to be seen in casualty units last week barely changed from the week before. Mr Gray came under intense criticism last month when it emerged Scotland's NHS recorded its worst cancer waiting times in the first three months of 2025. Since 2016, the target has been for 95 per cent of patients referred with an urgent suspicion of cancer to start treatment within 62 days. But between January and March a record low of just 68.9 per cent were treated on time, down from 73.5 per cent the previous quarter. Mr Gray chose to lead a healthcare trade mission to Japan when the data was published, leading to claims he was 'missing in action' on a 'junket'. But he did issue a statement drawing attention to a different cancer statistic - which has now caused a second outcry. 'The median wait for urgent suspicion of cancer referral to treatment is 52 days, demonstrating the extensive work by staff across Scotland to treat people as quickly and effectively as possible,' he said. But official data has revealed this was a record high, up from 49 days the previous quarter, and from 41 days when records began in 2016. The median is the central point in a set of numbers. Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: 'The SNP are fast running out of excuses. 'It is grotesque and dangerously misleading for the Health Secretary to suggest that the average wait of 52 days shows progress, when that too is the worst on record. 'This kind of desperate and irresponsible political spin does nothing to bring down waits. The Health Secretary ought to apologise to patients.' Tory public health spokesman Brian Whittle said: 'It is appalling that Neil Gray doubled down on trying to paint the worst cancer waiting times on record in a better light. 'His attempts to distract from the SNP's record-breaking failure is crass and deeply insulting to suffering patients. He should be focused on saving lives, not saving face. 'Under the SNP, cancer care is in crisis and no amount of PR can mask their shocking neglect of Scotland's health service.' But in response, Mr Gray refused to apologise and effectively repeated his original spin. He said: 'We want to improve cancer waiting times and we know some people are waiting too long. 'The median wait from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to treatment is 52 days, and once a decision has been taken to treat somebody, the median wait for that treatment to begin is three days. This demonstrates the extensive work by staff across Scotland to treat people as quickly and effectively as possible.' New data yesterday also showed A&E waits improved in the week to June 29, with 67.6 per cent of patients seen within the four-hour target, up from 67.3 per cent the previous week. Waits of over eight and 12 hours also fell by around 0.5 per centage points. But the marginal gains were only achieved after patient numbers slumped 9.3 per cent. Mr Gray said the numbers were 'moving in the right direction'. Tory MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the health secretary was 'burying his head in the sand'. Scottish Labour deputy Dame Jackie Baillie added: 'The reality is that John Swinney and the SNP have no meaningful plan, no strategy, and no ideas to save our NHS.'
