'No Underlying Conditions' 40s Develop Limb Paralysis After AZ Vaccine Injection

AstraZeneca Vaccine [AP=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jumi Lee] A healthy woman in her 40s working as a nursing assistant reportedly developed side effects such as paralysis of the limbs after receiving the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine and is currently undergoing inpatient treatment.

According to the office of Seo Jeong-sook, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the People Power Party, Ms. A (45), a female nursing assistant working at a hospital in Gyeonggi Province, was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after receiving the AZ vaccine on the 12th of last month. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is an immune response-related disease.

Ms. A experienced headaches and high fever for a week immediately after vaccination, and on the 24th of the same month, she showed symptoms of binocular diplopia, where objects appear doubled. On the 31st, symptoms of limb paralysis appeared, and she is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.

According to Seo’s office, Ms. A was in a healthy condition without underlying diseases such as hypertension or cardiovascular disease. It was also reported that a health checkup conducted in January for hospital employment confirmed no unusual health findings.

Seo, who holds a doctorate in pharmacology, pointed out, "If a rare disease suddenly occurs in a healthy woman in her 40s, it is inevitable to consider a connection with the vaccination."

She also stated, "Among 79 vaccine-related death and severe adverse event reports submitted to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Expert Committee, only one case has been recognized as causally related to vaccination," adding, "Instead of strictly judging causality with incomplete criteria, the priority should be patient protection and focusing on relief for the victims."