Recently, two anganwadi workers were diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare condition in which an individual’s immune system keeps attacking the nerves. The workers are aged 35 years and 45 years of age and are undergoing treatment at a hospital. They had experienced uneasiness after receiving the first vaccine dose of COVID-19 in January 2021.

The exact cause of the GBS syndrome is unknown, however it is headed by a bacterial or viral infection. The two women were administered Covishield and are amongst the 20 serious cases of adverse events following immunisation in the state.

The 35-year-old woman, who is from Shivamogga district’s Thirthahalli taluk, became ill on 10th February, nearly 15 days after taking the first vaccine dose and was admitted to the hospital of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal, the very next day. She complained of progressive weakness in her extremities and faced difficulty in breathing. She was then put-on ventilator support firstly, but now can breathe on her own.

Dr Avinash Shetty, medical superintendent, KMC said that the woman is in the ICU currently. Her condition was very critical on admission, however she responded well to medicines. Dr Rajesh Surgihalli, health officer at Shivamogga, said that the woman’s health condition was not related to vaccination and GBS is a coincidence.

The 45-year-old woman is from Raichur and complained of pain in her lower limbs. She had suffered an episode of vomiting on 27thJanuary, seven days after receiving the first vaccine dose and was brought to Nimhans on 17thFebruary. The senior Nimhans doctors treating her stated that instances of GBS as an adverse event following immunisation were seen in rabies, DPT and influenza vaccines earlier also. It is very difficult to arrive at a conclusion such as GBS was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine. The condition is manifested by an overactive immune system that cannot correctly see the difference between the body’s own cells and vaccine proteins. This hyperactivity results in the neurological disorder.

Doctors are saying that it is not possible to guess which person is going to develop GBS after vaccination. It is an unfortunate state, nevertheless should not discourage people from taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

Both the women did not have a past medical history of neurological issues. Dr Arundhati Chandrashekar, mission director of National Health Mission in Karnataka said that a technical meeting was scheduled for next week for discussing and evaluating the cause. A member of the state COVID-19 task force also said that such cases which result in adverse events should be studied with extreme care.

Source: ET Healthworld