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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly expected to administer a new warning on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and a possible link to Guillain-Barré, a rare autoimmune nerve disorder.
The Washington Post, citing four individuals familiar with the matter, said the warning is expected after about 100 cases of Guillain-Barré occurred against a backdrop of nearly 12.8 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients.
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FDA declined to comment when prompted by Fox News. Johnson & Johnson did not immediately respond to Fox News’ requests for comment.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that the CDC and FDA are monitoring reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) after receiving Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.
"Reports of GBS after receipt of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) are rare, but do likely indicate a small possible risk of this side effect following this vaccine," Kristen Nordlund of CDC Public Affairs wrote to Fox News in an email. "These cases have largely been reported about two weeks after vaccination and mostly in males, many aged 50 years and older. "
Nordlund said available data don't show a similar trend with mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna), after over 321 million doses were administered in the United States. An independent group of experts advising the CDC plan to discuss the issue at an upcoming meeting, she said, though it is not immediately clear when the meeting will be held.
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According to the CDC, Guillain-Barré occurs when a person’s immune system damages the nerves, spurring muscle weakness and in some cases, paralysis. Symptoms can last for several weeks to years, and while most will go on to fully recover, some are left with permanent nerve damage. Triggers for the rare syndrome include recent respiratory or gastrointestinal infection weeks before symptoms, or viral infections like the flu and Zika virus.
"Very rarely, people have developed GBS in the days or weeks after receiving certain vaccines," the agency states. The syndrome is estimated to affect about 1 in 100,000 people, and in the U.S. it is more common among men and individuals above age 50. It is not contagious but outbreaks of germs linked to GBS can result in clusters. Treatments include plasma exchange and antibody infusions.
Fox News’ Alexandria Hein and Andrew Murray contributed to this report.