Do you expect an increased rate of Guillain Barre cases with the H1N1 vaccine?
No. In 1976, a different type of H1N1 flu vaccine was felt to be associated with an increased number of cases of a severe paralytic illness called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). Since then, flu vaccines have not been clearly linked to GBS. GBS has a number of different causes, and GBS usually occurs in people who have never received an influenza vaccine. In fact, getting influenza itself can result in a person developing GBS. The benefits of influenza vaccination in preventing serious illness, hospitalization, flu-associated GBS, and death substantially outweigh the potential risk for vaccine-associated GBS.
