News

FDA Probes Meningitis Vaccine For Links to Brain Illness

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday it plans to investigate potential links between a meningitis vaccine called Menactra and a serious neurological condition called Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) after five recently vaccinated teenagers came down with the illness.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. health officials recommended the vaccine -- approved for use by the FDA last January -- for adolescents and college freshmen living in crowded dormitories, and they say there is no reason at this time to alter that guideline.

GBS causes increasing weakness in the arms and legs which can, in some cases, progress to paralysis. It usually strikes suddenly, often after infections.

The affected 17- and 18-year-olds from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey all contracted the syndrome within four weeks of vaccination with Menactra, the AP said.

Studies in more than 7,000 recipients by Menactra manufacturer Sanofi-Pasteur turned up no cases of GBS, and more than 2.5 million doses have been given since the vaccine hit the market. The FDA noted that the five cases reported are similar in number to what might be expected in the general, unvaccinated population.