The South African medicines regulator has reported two fatal cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological condition, in people who had received the anti-Covid vaccine from the American laboratory Johnson & Johnson (J&J).
The health authority (SAHPRA) had reported a first death on August 4. "SAHPRA has been informed of a second fatal case of Guillain-Barré syndrome following vaccination with the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine ," it said in a statement on Monday.
Contacted by AFP, J&J stressed in a written response on Tuesday that "very rare cases of the neurological disorder, Guillain-Barré syndrome, have been reported after vaccination with the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine, most occurring within the first 42 days following vaccination . "
"GBS is a very rare but serious adverse effect that is associated with the administration of various vaccines and other drugs and can also be triggered by infections such as SARS-CoV-2," the laboratory added, without directly referring to the South African cases.
SAHPRA did not provide further details on the deceased patients , citing "medical confidentiality ." However, it had indicated in its statement that "the effects reported in the vaccinated individual corresponded to the case definition of GBS and no other probable cause of GBS has been identified . "
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a disorder of the peripheral nerves characterized by progressive weakness or even paralysis , most often starting in the legs and sometimes progressing up to the respiratory muscles and then the nerves of the head and neck.
South Africa , officially the African country most affected by the pandemic, has recorded more than four million cases of coronavirus and 102,129 deaths.
Of the 60 million population, 20.3 million South Africans have been vaccinated. More than 9.2 million received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 12.5 million the Pfizer vaccine , according to official figures.
