ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A northern Virginia family says their lives were turned upside down just 24 hours after getting their 14-year-old son received his seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines.
Jordan McFarland is an avid young athlete who was unable to walk without the aid of a walker just one day after getting his flu shots. His father Calvin says doctors made a preliminary diagnosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disease characterized by muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.
About 1 in 1 million people who receive seasonal flu vaccines will be infected with GBS, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC adds that GBS is a condition that strikes people who have never received a flu vaccine.
The Alexandria, Va. teen had both a seasonal flu vaccine and an H1N1 shot a week ago, but his dad believes the illness is linked to the H1N1 flu shot. He says Jordan had regular flu shots four times before without a problem.
The CDC tells FOX 5 it is investigating five cases of reported Guillain-Barre Syndrome after patients had a swine flu shot. One of those cases is a 14-year-old in Virginia.
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