A 75-year-old woman who developed weakness in her legs after receiving a swine flu vaccination has possibly developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, doctors said yesterday.
In 1976, the United States Centre for Disease Control recorded 532 Guillain-Barre syndrome cases which occurred after just over 48 million people were vaccinated for swine flu that year.
The disease is a condition in which the body damages its own nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and even paralysis.
Hong Kong health officials said the woman had received a swine flu vaccination on December 31 at a public outpatients clinic. She developed weakness in her legs on February 8 and was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital next day.
She was in critical condition in an intensive care unit last night. A Centre for Health Protection spokesman said yesterday that tests on the patient suggested she had developed Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Two other people who have received swine flu shots have developed Guillain-Barre syndrome symptoms. One was cleared of the disease and the other was admitted to hospital and then discharged.