Ten Things Health Care Providers Should Know About Gbs After Vaccine

GBS vaccine is a live vaccine used to prevent the spread of the bacteria known as GBS. This bacteria is typically spread through childbirth, so pregnant women are screened for it during pregnancy to help reduce their risk of contracting GBS. The vaccine has been in use since 1998 and has been used worldwide with success in preventing its infection. This article talks about a number of common questions that doctors find themselves bombarded with when discussing this virus including how effective the vaccine is; what symptoms indicate a person should be vaccinated against Gbs; and where people may experience these symptoms after vaccination.

What does GBS After Vaccine mean?

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare disorder where the body’s immune system damages nerves. The damaged nerve leads to muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. In most cases, the damage to the nerve is not permanent. Symptoms typically include muscle pains, numbness, tingling and at times paralysis. According to studies the most common cause of GBS is after a person receives a Gbs vaccine. The measles vaccine is one of the top ten causes of GBS in developed countries while this virus affects only about 5% worldwide according to some studies. But around 1% of those who receive the measles vaccine may be prone to developing GBS when they are exposed to it in post-vaccination type I reaction because they do not have adequate antibodies or their immune system does not produce enough antibodies with which it can fight this virus.

The majority of GBS after vaccination is caused by the MMR vaccine and the influenza vaccine.

Symptoms of GBS After Vaccine

The symptoms of GBS after vaccination may vary depending on what caused the syndrome. In most cases, people who have a GBS after vaccination will complain of feeling tired, achy and having muscle weakness somewhere in their body. In some cases they may experience numbness or tingling sensations in different parts of their bodies which could be a warning sign that they are on their way to developing it.

The symptoms of GBS are typically like those of any other nerve inflammation or swelling. The presence of weakness and muscle pain in different parts of the body could indicate GBS.

Symptoms may only appear a few days after the exposure to the virus, but it is common for them to last for weeks. In rare cases, symptoms may not appear until 7-10 days after vaccination as well.

When Should People Get Vaccinated?

It is recommended that people continue to get vaccinated against Gbs even if they develop symptoms from it as long as they are still experiencing these symptoms. Getting vaccinated early enough can help prevent the risk of developing GBS symptoms after vaccination.