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Update: CDC MMWR October 20, 2006. "Update: Guillain-Barré Syndrome Among Recipients of Menactra® Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine --- United States, June 2005--September 2006. "This report summarizes nine additional GBS cases reported to VAERS during March--September 2006. This report also provides a preliminary analysis of data from VAERS and the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) since MCV4 became available in the United States in March 2005 and includes all 17 cases of GBS reported since June 2005. Although these data suggest a small increased risk for GBS after MCV4 vaccination, the inherent limitations of VAERS and the uncertainty regarding background incidence rates for GBS require that these findings be viewed with caution. Because of the risk for meningococcal disease and the associated morbidity and mortality, CDC continues to recommend routine vaccination with MCV4 for adolescents, college freshmen living in dormitories, and other populations at increased risk. ... original story... This story originally aired in December 2005. In this Special Edition of PSN, we are repeating some of the most important safety issues that continue to pose a public health problem. FDA and CDC are alerting health care providers and consumers about six reports of Guillain-Barre Syndrome following administration of Menactra, a Meningococcal vaccine manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur. At this point, it isn't known whether these cases of GBS were caused by the vaccine, or were just coincidental. At the present time, there are no changes in the recommendations for vaccination against meningitis. This vaccine has been given to several million people and the number of reported cases so far is about what would be expected in a patient population of this size, even without the vaccine. However, the timing of these six events causes some concern. And since vaccine adverse events aren't always reported, there may be additional cases that we don't know about. So, FDA and CDC are asking anyone who knows of GBS occurring after Menactra administration to report this to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

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