Griffith came down with the muscular disease Guillain-Barre syndrome in 1983, according to biography.com, but made a full recovery.

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She told the BBC he had been in and out of hospital recently after falling ill with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disease affecting the nervous system.

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The flu never spread, but some 40 million Americans got the vaccine, which was blamed for hundreds of cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that causes severe muscle weakness.

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Health experts say once unknown bacteria including campylobacter, commonly found in chicken, are now thought to be a significant cause of such disorders as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause paralysis.

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Those who should not be vaccinated include persons with a severe reaction to a previous flu shot, people who developed Guillain- Barre syndrome within 6 weeks of a flu shot, and children less than 6 months of age.

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