Intensive Care! Teen develops rare disease and severe side effects after COVID vaccination!
Teen develops rare disease after COVID vaccination! A teenager who was recently vaccinated against COVID-19 had to be treated in intensive care after a rare side effect occurred.
Serious disease breaks out after vaccination!
The 17-year-old, is currently being treated at Children’s Hospital. Doctors believe the COVID vaccine triggered a rare disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome, according to local news station WREG. “When we arrived, my doctor, immediately told me what she thought it was. She said you have Guillain-Barré,” the teen told WREG.
The health department describes Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) as a condition where the body’s immune system damages nerves, which can lead to muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.
Recovery possible – permanent nerve damage too!
Most people with GBS recover completely, but some may experience permanent nerve damage. The cause of GBS is not yet fully understood, but the syndrome often occurs after infection with a virus or bacteria.
In the United States, only an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people develop GBS each year. Vaccines have caused GBS in very few cases, but COVID-19 vaccines overall very rarely cause adverse side effects, according to the CDC.
Doctors confirmed Allen’s diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome last week, a family member wrote on Facebook. Allen first noticed problems like back pain a few weeks ago. During a wedding where she served as maid of honor, the teen felt tingling in her toes. However, she was really concerned during a visit to the bowling alley.
Significantly disabled by the disease
.
“I’m on the bowling team at Dyer County and I realized I couldn’t feel my arm and legs when I threw the ball. So I freaked out,” she told WREG, prompting her parents to take her to the hospital last week.
“It’s [GBS] a disease where the body’s immune system gets a little confused and goes against the nerve cells, causing weakness,” Dr. Nick Hysmith, the medical director of infection prevention at Le Bonheur, told the news station.
“The disease will cause more symptoms and is more likely than the vaccine itself. I would still strongly advise people to get vaccinated,” he added.
“I think everyone should get vaccinated if they want to,” she said. “You shouldn’t be afraid of it, but know what can happen if you get vaccinated.
It’s uphill
.
Allen’s health has continued to improve since her diagnosis, and she has been moved out of intensive care.
“I should be able to go and graduate in March. I’m going to graduate from high school. I should be able to walk on stage, and I’m determined to do that,” Allen said. “I feel really blessed. I could be in a much worse situation than I am now. I could be dead, or I could be paralyzed.