The silence is almost deafening in the American press when it comes to publishing information about the potentially lethal link between swine flu vaccine and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a dread nerve disorder. While other parts of the world are not much better informed, information about the link reached the public in the United Kingdom in mid-August—but only after two letters were leaked to the Daily Mail. The letters were addressed to 600 senior British neurologists. One was from the UK’s Health Protection Agency and the other from the Association of British Neurologists.
The specter of Guillain-Barre is too dangerous to be ignored in the United States, and news that it may be caused by the swine flu vaccine should not be soft-pedaled. Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disorder that ravages the protective sheathing of the nerves, affecting the brain and the spinal cord, and can cause paralysis to the point that patients must be put on respirators in order to breathe. GBS can cause death or permanent disability, and there is no treatment or cure. Although no one knows its exact cause, physicians know it can be triggered by surgery or by vaccinations such as the swine flu vaccine—and the vaccine is the big concern of the moment, given the precedent of 1976.
What happened in 1976? The American government rushed to develop a swine flu vaccine and gave it to about 40 million people. Soon after the deaths of 25 people from paralysis and respiratory failure, the government strongly suspected the vaccine was the cause and withdrew it. The swine flu itself, on the other hand, killed only one person. The new strain of swine flu used in the new vaccine is slightly different, but concerns about GBS remain the same.
Yet another worry about the vaccine is the use of a component oil called squalene. According to prominent American neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock, squalene can also set off autoimmunity, and is associated with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, and Parkinson’s. Many British experts are likewise worried about squalene, going so far as to call the upcoming initial trial of the swine flu vaccine a “guinea-pig trial.”
The leaked letters beg doctors to be on the lookout for patients with symptoms of GBS, revealing deep doubts and fears in the UK about the safety of the new vaccine. The letter from the Association of British Neurologists, for instance, informed physicians that the vaccine caused a possible eight-fold increase in GBS during the 1976 U.S. swine flu bout.
The Health Protection Agency letter reminded physicians that in the United States’ 1976 bout, more people died from the vaccination than the flu. Over 500 cases of GBS were diagnosed and resulted in the vaccine being withdrawn after just ten weeks. “I would not have the swine flu jab because of the GBS risk,” said one senior neurologist.
GBS By the Numbers: About 160 million doses of swine flu vaccine will be available this fall. In 1976, about one in 100,000 who got the swine flu vaccine developed GBS.
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