Health Update: Lame reaction

Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine may in rare instances trigger a serious nervous disorder that causes weakness of the limbs, doctors at the Children's Hospital, Birmingham, report. They describe the case of a 16-month- old girl who developed the illness - Guillain-Barre syndrome - after being vaccinated; it was several weeks before she could walk again. The authors point out in The Lancet that about 20 cases of the disease associated with immunisation have been reported worldwide. Most sufferers recover completely without treatment, although some are left with permanent weakness.