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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health was notified by the Hospital Authority last night (November 23) of a suspected case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) affecting a 26-year-old woman.
The woman, who received flu vaccination from a private doctor on October 23, was admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital on November 14 for weakness of upper and lower limbs. She is now in stable condition. The case is being managed as a suspected case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).
A CHP spokesman said GBS, a disease of uncertain etiology, mainly presents with varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs, and may occasionally involve the arms and upper body. Most people usually recover while some may have more permanent nervous system effects.
¡§According to the World Health Organization, the association between GBS and influenza vaccine is inconclusive from scientific studies,¡¨ a spokesman said.
The spokesman quoted the World Health Organization as stating that even if GBS is a true side effect of influenza vaccine, the estimated risk of one to two cases per million vaccinated is less than that for severe influenza.
The spokesman said that GBS was not uncommon in Hong Kong. Between 1997 and 2004, there were 42 cases of GBS under age 15 recorded by the DH¡¦s surveillance system for acute flaccid paralysis.
He reiterated that the side effects of influenza vaccine were usually mild and well tolerated. The benefits of influenza vaccine among target groups clearly outweighed its risk.
Meanwhile, CHP is collecting more information about this case and other possible antecedent factors. The Working Group on Influenza Vaccination under the CHP¡¦s Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases will also discuss the case.
Ends/Thursday, November 24, 2005
Issued at HKT 18:54
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