Reply #21: A couple of notes.

[Jim__]

You state:

And both MSNBC and the OP appear to be ignorant of this:

"Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disorder; its frequency is about 1 to 2 cases in every 100,000 people per year in the United States."

That's somewhat of a surprising statement given that the article referenced in the OP states:

“We know that GBS and other illnesses occur routinely in the U.S.,” Vellozzi said, noting that 80 to 120 cases are diagnosed each week in the general population.

That's essentially the same as the number that you cite. No?


You also cite this statement:

Out of about 40 million doses of H1N1 vaccine available to date, that’s a far lower rate of GBS than the 1 case that develops in every 1 million people who receive the regular flu vaccine.

And, I'm not quite sure how to square that figure with the statement that GBS occurs in 1 to 2 people out of every 100,000 per year in the US. Is the flu shot a protection against GBS? well, according to the Mayo Clinic the flu shot is a trigger of GBS, a rare trigger, but still, I have to wonder how to take Vellozzi's statement that 1 in every 1 million who receive the flu shot get GBS. That would seem like a protection against GBS.

Guillain-Barre may be triggered by:

• Most commonly, infection with campylobacter, a type of bacteria often found in undercooked food, especially poultry
  
• Surgery
  
• Epstein-Barr virus
  
• Hodgkin's disease
  
• Mononucleosis
  
• HIV, the virus that causes AIDS
  
• Rarely, rabies or influenza immunizations