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Which vaccines are linked to GBS? What new research means for vaccine injury claims
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a serious adverse reaction that can be triggered by vaccination. A study published in July 2026 in the journal Vaccine used a vast database of patient medical records to determine the rate of GBS following vaccination. The researchers screened 99 vaccines for signals. Among the vaccines covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), they flagged three: influenza vaccines; Tetanus from Tdap vaccination; and pneumococcal vaccines such as Prevnar, given to prevent pneumonia.
Here is what the study found for each one and how each fits into the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)?
Guillain-Barré syndrome occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own nerves. Symptoms typically begin with tingling or weakness in the feet and legs, then spreads over days or weeks. Some people need hospital care and even help breathing. Most recover, though it can take months, and some are left with lasting nerve damage or even paralysis. GBS often follows a viral or bacterial infection, but it has also been linked to some vaccinations.
How the 2026 vaccine safety study looked for GBS links
Investigators from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used the Vaccine Safety Datalink for the study, a CDC partnership with large health systems that tracks vaccine safety through patient records. The researchers identified 2,584 adults diagnosed with GBS at 10 health systems between 2017 and 2023 and analyzed the vaccines each person received in the 12 weeks before diagnosis.
The method passed an important test. It flagged every vaccine already known to be linked to GBS, and it did not flag any vaccine without a known link.
Flu shots and GBS: A recognized vaccine adverse reaction
Flu vaccines produced the strongest statistical signal linking to GBS in the study. Guillain-Barré diagnoses happened at nearly twice the expected rate in the three weeks after a flu shot. High-dose and flu vaccines for older adults, such as Fluzone and Fluad, also signaled on their own.
Flu vaccines are covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and GBS after a flu shot is on the program’s official list of injuries that it presumes were caused by a vaccine under specific conditions. That list is officially known as “the vaccine injury table” because it is an actual table of VICP criteria. When GBS symptoms begin 3 to 42 days after the shot, the program presumes the flu shot caused the GBS. The study’s timing results fit within that window.
Tetanus and GBS: Additional evidence for a covered VICP vaccine
Tdap protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough. In the three weeks after a Tdap shot, GBS diagnoses happened at about 2.5 times the expected rate. That timing pattern closely matched flu shots.
Tdap is covered by the VICP, but GBS after Tdap is not on the official list, or “the vaccine injury table.” That means the injured person must prove that the vaccine “more likely than not” caused the GBS. The new study adds additional evidence to a relationship that doctors have recognized for decades.
Prevnar 13 and Prevnar 20 pneumonia vaccines and GBS in the VICP
Pneumococcal vaccines protect against pneumonia and other serious infections. The strongest safety signals in this study involved the conjugate vaccines Prevnar 13 and Prevnar 20, with GBS diagnoses at about three times the expected rate in the first three weeks. Unlike flu shots and Tdap, the rate stayed above normal through the sixth week.
Prevnar 13 and Prevnar 20 are covered by the VICP, but GBS following these vaccinations is not on the official vaccine injury table. Therefore, these claims require proof that the vaccine caused the GBS. Pneumovax 23, an older pneumococcal vaccine, is not covered by the VICP, and the study did not detect GBS causation signals with Pneumovax 23 vaccination.
What this study means for GBS vaccine injury claims
The study supports what the VICP already recognizes for people who develop GBS after the flu shot. For people who experienced vaccine injuries from Tdap and Prevnar, it adds additional, large-scale evidence from the CDC’s own vaccine safety system. That evidence may be able to help show that their GBS was caused by a covered vaccine.
Every case still depends on its own facts, including medical history and records, when symptoms began, and expert medical opinion. To qualify for compensation, the injury generally must last more than six months or lead to an inpatient hospital stay with surgery. Compensation can cover medical costs, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. In the VICP, attorney fees and costs are paid separately by the Court of Federal Claims, not taken from the injured person’s award.
More research is needed for GBS vaccine links
The authors describe their results as signals that need follow-up. They did not review medical charts to confirm each GBS diagnosis, though they adjusted their risk estimates to account for that limitation. The researchers call for targeted follow-up studies to confirm the findings and measure the size of each risk. The vaccine injury attorneys at mctlaw support that research, especially for Tdap and Prevnar.
Talk with a vaccine injury lawyer about GBS
If you developed GBS after a flu shot, Tdap, Prevnar, or another covered vaccine; mctlaw can review your case for free. For more than 25 years we have represented clients suffering GBS after vaccination. For clients that have suffered severe GBS following vaccinations, mctlaw has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation. Over those 25 years, mctlaw has represented over 1,000 clients in successful Vaccine Injury Compensation Program claims.
Contact mctlaw at 888.952.5242 for a free vaccine injury case evaluation.
