The Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public statement through their Medwatch monitoring system saying Menactra may be associated with a small increased risk of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.The magnitude of the risk was unknown and appears far less than the risk of contracting meningitis, a potentially deadly infection.
Vaccine-maker Sanofi Pasteur is studying reports of a rare paralysis condition among at least 15 young people vaccinated with Menactra, a meningitis vaccine.
Occurring six weeks after vaccinations, the cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome amounted to about 1.25 people out of one million vaccinated nationwide.
An estimated 6.6 million doses of the vaccine have been administered since it was introduced in March 2005. (Philly.com)
