Latest news with #meningoencephalitis
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Man died from brain and spinal cord inflammation after misdiagnosis
An autopsy showed the cause of the man's death was "severe meningoencephalitis with features most in keeping with rheumatoid meningoencephalitis". Photo: 123RF A man died from inflammation of his brain and spinal cord after being misdiagnosed with concussion and mental health issues. The Health and Disability Commissioner found clinicians breached the man's rights. In 2019 the man, who was in his 50s, was found in an agitated state and having seizures on the beach after he had been surfing, and was believed to have been concussed. The man, referred to in the commissioner's report as Mr A, was taken to hospital by ambulance, and seen by a neurologist. The neurologist said it appeared the seizures were due to the concussion, and gave the man a discharge plan calling for an electroencephalogram (EEG) to assess for epilepsy, and for him to see a neurologist as an outpatient once the EEG was done. The man's GP filed an ACC treatment injury for concussion and referred him to a concussion rehabilitation service. During the next six months, the man showed a range of complex symptoms, such as headaches, photophobia, nausea, and changes in mood, and repeatedly sought medical help from multiple clinicians, deputy commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell said. The man died six months after the initial incident, and an autopsy showed the cause of death was "severe meningoencephalitis with features most in keeping with rheumatoid meningoencephalitis". The man had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2018. The requested EEG was never done, with the medical centre saying it thought Health NZ was arranging for the EEG, Caldwell said. Health NZ did not arrange for the outpatient neurology appointment or the EEG, and did nothing to check why the appointments had not happened. HNZ said neither of these tasks were completed due to administration issues. The concussion rehab service said it had trouble engaging and getting in touch with Mr A. The service's documentation and communication with the man's medical centre was poor, Caldwell said. Over the six months between the initial incidents and his death the man started showing a range of unusual symptoms. This included mood swings, amnesia, headaches, urinary incontinence, balance issues, impulsive and abusive behaviour, and discoordination of thoughts and actions. The man's wife raised concerns about his behavioural changes and he was assessed by Mental Health and Addiction Services. The report outlined an incident in which a GP and a registered nurse visited the man at home. The man's wife said the registered nurse berated and belittled Mr A, asking him to "sort himself out". This was repeated over and over and the nurse was backed up by the GP, the wife told the commissioner. Mrs A said the GP advised her to ignore Mr A's behaviour as he was "putting it all on and only ramping up his manipulation". The GP acknowledged saying Mr A's behaviour seemed to be manipulative, and said that was based on previous observations of Mr A and was based on many sources. The GP said he did not consider the communication disrespectful or belittling, but expressed sincere apologies if it was perceived in this way. Caldwell said Mr A's presentation was unusual for rheumatoid meningoencephalitis. Rheumatoid meningoencephalitis does have a poor prognosis, so even if a more timely diagnosis had been made the outcome may not have changed, she said. "However, the fact remains that several systems failures cumulatively led to Mr A receiving a poor standard of care," Caldwell said. "These failures deprived Mr A of the opportunity for earlier investigations and interventions, an understanding of what was causing his symptoms, and an opportunity for him and his whānau to prepare for the prognosis." A number of recommendations were made for HNZ, the medical centre and the rehabilitation centre. HNZ was recommended to complete a random audit of discharge letters and determine if they had been followed through, and audits of mental health inpatients to look at whether organic causes were ruled out before psychiatric diagnosis was considered. The medical centre was told to write a formal apology to Mr A's family and to improve its communication with the rehabilitation service provider. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Experts issue warning that Covid vaccine may trigger deadly brain inflammation - after man was struck down after just one jab
A healthy man was struck by a life-threatening inflammation of his brain and spinal cord after just one dose of a Covid vaccine. The unnamed 60-year-old sought help from medics in Paris, France after suddenly developing walking problems and mental confusion, four weeks after receiving a dose of AstraZeneca 's Covid jab. Brain scans revealed he was suffering from meningoencephalitis—a life threatening swelling of the brain and the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord—according to doctors who shared his tale in a medical journal. While the condition can be caused by health problems like an infection or blood cancers, analysis of the man's brain tissue showed no signs of any viruses or other disease that could be responsible This led medics to believe that the man's swelling was caused by his Covid vaccination, specifically his immune system over-reacting to the jab. They then diagnosed him with postvaccinal encephalitis, dangerous brain swelling following a jab. The man, who suffered two bouts of brain swelling while in the care of the medical team, was treated with special drugs to suppress his immune system for six months until his symptoms were under control. Doctors, who reported the case JAMA Neurology, said the man had made an almost full recovery three years after. However, they noted he continued to suffer from ongoing mild problems with his attention span. The patient originally showed significant improvement after being treated when he first suffered symptoms four weeks after getting the jab. However, he returned with the same walking and mental confusion problems three months later which when medics conducted the brain biopsy and put him on six months of medication. Medics said the relapse showed the importance of sustained drug treatments for such patients as well as 'prompt diagnosis and aggressive treatment'. Encephalitis after Covid vaccines have been reported before. A study published in 2023 on 65 patients found AstraZeneca was the most common vaccine brand linked to the reaction, accounting for over a third of cases. The authors of that report highlighted that what exactly causes vaccine induced encephalitis to occur in some patients is not yet understood. However, they added that majority of cases have made a full recovery. While the team behind the most recent report did not specify when the man received the Covid jab it is likely to have been in 2021. France—alongside many European countries—suspended and then restricted the use of the British designed jab in early 2021. This followed reports of a small number of patients suffering an extremely rare but potentially deadly blood clotting reaction. Called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TSS), this is a medical condition where a person suffers blood clots along with a low platelet count. Platelets typically help the blood to clot. The complication—missed in initial safety trials due to its rarity but now listed as a potential side effect of the jab—has also previously been called vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Health officials first identified cases of VITT linked to AstraZeneca's jab in Europe as early as March 2021, just over two months after the vaccine was first deployed in the UK. However, it wasn't until April that year that evidence became clear enough that the jab started to be restricted. Officials first stopped dishing out the jab to people under the age of 30. They then expanded this to only people over 40 in May 2021. As the vaccine still worked against Covid, it was still deemed worth giving to older Britons who were at greater risk of death or injury from falling ill with the virus. About 50million doses of the AstraZeneca jab were dished out in the UK in total. Official data shows at least 81 Brits have died from blood clot complications apparently linked to the AstraZeneca jab, according to figures collected by the UK's drug watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. A further unconfirmed number have been injured and/or disabled. Further Covid vaccine rollouts have either minimised use of the AstraZeneca jab and/or phased it out entirely in favour of alternatives like those made by rival pharma giants Pfizer and Moderna. With health officials not ordering any more doses, this effectively means the jab has all but been withdrawn in the UK. While rare reactions to the jab has been linked to deaths and injuries, AstraZeneca's shot is credited with saving some 6million lives globally during the Covid pandemic. The latest NHS figures show 293 Britons—or their families— have applied to a Government scheme to support the vaccine injured and had their claim the jab caused their health issues accepted. However—under the rules of the widely criticised scheme—not all will receive the £120,000 compensation offered. Survivors of jab injuries must be at least 60 per cent disabled by their injuries in order to qualify for a payout—for example losing a limb, a sense like your sight, or suffering complete paralysis. The case of the French man comes amid growing concern about what has been dubbed 'post-vaccination syndrome'. Linked to mRNA jabs, those made by the likes of Pfizer and Moderna but not AstraZeneca, the condition appears to cause brain fog, dizziness, tinnitus and exercise intolerance, the researchers reported. Some sufferers also show distinct biological changes, including differences in immune cells and the presence of coronavirus proteins in their blood, years after taking the shot. The condition is also said to increase the risk of reawakening a dormant virus called Epstein-Barr, which can cause flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes and nerve issues. The full results of the small study have not yet been published or peer reviewed, and the authors emphasised the results 'are still a work in progress.' AstraZeneca's Covid jab timeline January 2020: Oxford University scientists start working on a Covid vaccine after the World Health Organization declares the spread of the virus a 'Public Health Emergency of International Concern' March 2020: Then Prime Minister Boris announced the first national lockdown. That same month, the Government invests £88million in the development of the Oxford vaccine April 2020: Alongside AstraZeneca, scientists start the first clinical trials of their new vaccine. This involved 1,000 volunteers in the UK July 2020: Results from phase two trials of AstraZeneca's jab are published 4 December 2020: Covid jab rollout begins with the Pfizer vaccine. Over-80s and care home workers are given priority 8 December 2020: Phase three trial results of the AstraZeneca's jab are published. These are what health officials will use to approve the jab for use in the UK 30 December 2020: AstraZeneca's jab is approved for emergency use 4 January 2021: First AstraZeneca doses start being dished out. Brian Pinker, 82, is the first person to receive the jab outside of clinical trials 8 January 2021: Frontline NHS staff start being offered vaccines 8 February 2021: Over-70s are called forward 14 February 2021: Roll-out opens up to Brits with underlying heath conditions, as well as the over-65s 28 February 2021: All over-60s are invited for jabs 11 March 2021: European countries start suspending use of the AstraZeneca jab after death of a 60-year-old woman from a blood clot 17 March 2021: Over 50s start being offered Covid jabs in the UK 19 March 2021: Several European countries reverse decision to suspend AstraZeneca jab after initial investigations find no link to reported blood clots 31 March 2021: People living with vulnerable adults are called forward to get a Covid vaccine in the UK, even if they are younger than eligible age groups 7 April 2021: UK restricts the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to over-30s over a small but statistically significant risk of blood clots in younger people 30 April 2021: Over-40s are called forward for Covid jabs 7 May 2021: Restriction of the AstraZeneca vaccine is widened to include over-40s August 2022: Government sources say they will not order anymore AstraZeneca Covid vaccines instead focuses on mRNA alternatives March 2023: Dozens of patients and families launch legal action against AstraZeneca due to April 2023: Widower of a BBC presenter Lisa Shaw who died after having the vaccine said he has 'no alternative' but to sue AstraZeneca 4 August 2023: Anish Tailor, whose wife Alpa died in March 2021 after receiving her first AstraZeneca dose, filed a product liability claim against AstraZeneca at London's High Court. His lawyer says he has nearly 50 other clients who will formally sue AstraZeneca in the coming months 17 August 2023: IT engineer Jamie Scott, who suffered a brain haemorrhage the day after his first AstraZeneca jab starts a legal case against the company. The law firm representing Mr Scott says it represents around 40 other individuals or bereaved families
