News

RSV - risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome

NHS vaccination programmes against RSV

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. RSV infection is common in young children but is most serious for small babies and for older people. Abrysvo (Pfizer RSV vaccine) is currently being used in NHS vaccination programmes against RSV in older adults aged 75 to 79 years old and in pregnant women to protect their infants.

Risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome in older adults following RSV vaccine

An increase in the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome has been observed following vaccination with Abrysvo and Arexvy in adults aged 60 years and older.

Up to 2 June 2025, the MHRA received 21 Yellow Card reports of suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome in older adults (75-79 years, where known) following Abrysvo. This is in the context of over 1.9 million doses of Abrysvo administered in the older adult RSV vaccination programme up to 26 May 2025. Over the same time period, the MHRA has not received any Yellow Card reports of suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome following Arexvy however there has been very limited use of this vaccine in the UK to date as Arexvy (GSK RSV vaccine) is not currently deployed by the NHS.

Risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome in pregnancy following Abrysvo

Abrysvo is the only RSV vaccine indicated for use during pregnancy to protect infants. Up to 2 June 2025, the MHRA has not received any Yellow Card reports of suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome in pregnant individuals following Abrysvo. This is in the context of over a quarter of million doses of Abrysvo administered in the pregnancy RSV vaccination programme up to 26 May 2025.

Currently, there is no evidence of an increase in the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome following Abrysvo in pregnant individuals from either UK or world-wide data.

More information?

Click here to view the most update information regarding RSV

Published on 11th Jul 2025

Pathology lab test result issues

We wish to inform our patients about a significant incident and ongoing technical issues that have occurred at the laboratories of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which have impacted both the digital upload of and processing of test results to GP IT systems in Leeds and Bradford.

If you have had blood tests from the 3rd December 2024, you may be impacted by this issue. We would encourage you to check the NHS App or your online records to see if the results you were expecting are available.

If you are concerned that any results are missing, please contact the practice, and we will liaise with the laboratories at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on your behalf to resolve the issue.

We understand that this may cause frustration or concern, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.  This is out of the practices control. If you have been affected and wish to escalate your concerns please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) by:
Email: patientexperience.leedsth@nhs.net,
Tel: 0113 2066261
Post: Patient Experience Department Trust Headquarters
St James’s Hospital, Leeds, LS9 7TF

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work with the hospital laboratories to address this matter

Published on 27th Jan 2025