A previously healthy 60-year-old man developed life-threatening inflammation of his brain and spinal cord just four weeks after receiving a single dose of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.
He sought medical attention in Paris, France, after experiencing sudden difficulty walking and mental confusion. Brain scans revealed he was suffering from meningoencephalitis—a severe condition involving swelling of the brain and the surrounding tissues—according to doctors who documented his case in a medical journal.
Although conditions like infections or blood cancers can cause similar inflammation, analysis of the man’s brain tissue showed no signs of viruses or other underlying diseases.
This led doctors to conclude that the swelling was likely triggered by his Covid vaccination—specifically, an overactive immune response to the jab.
He was diagnosed with postvaccinal encephalitis, a rare but serious inflammation of the brain following vaccination.
During his treatment, the man experienced two episodes of brain swelling. Doctors administered immunosuppressive drugs over a six-month period to bring his symptoms under control.
According to a report published in JAMA Neurology, the man made an almost full recovery three years later.
The unnamed 60-year-old man sought medical attention in Paris, France, after suddenly experiencing difficulty walking and mental confusion—symptoms that appeared four weeks after he received a dose of AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine.
Brain scans revealed he was suffering from meningoencephalitis—a life-threatening inflammation of the brain and the surrounding tissues of the brain and spinal cord—according to doctors who documented his case in a medical journal.
However, the doctors noted that the patient continued to experience mild difficulties with his attention span.
Initially, he showed significant improvement after treatment following the onset of symptoms four weeks after vaccination.
But three months later, he returned with the same walking difficulties and mental confusion. At that time, medics performed a brain biopsy and prescribed six months of medication.
The doctors emphasized that this relapse highlights the importance of sustained drug treatment, along with prompt diagnosis and aggressive care for such patients.
Cases of encephalitis following Covid vaccines have been reported previously.
A 2023 study of 65 patients found that AstraZeneca was the most commonly linked vaccine brand, responsible for over a third of cases.
The study’s authors noted that the exact cause of vaccine-induced encephalitis remains unclear, but most patients make a full recovery.
While the team behind the latest case report did not specify the exact timing of the vaccination, it is likely the man received his Covid jab in 2021.
Researchers investigating the adverse reaction believe it is caused by the modified cold virus in the vaccine attracting a blood protein called platelet factor 4. Normally, platelet factor 4 helps the body form blood clots to stop bleeding after injury. However, in rare cases, the immune system mistakenly identifies platelet factor 4 as a threat and produces antibodies to attack it. These antibodies then bind with platelet factor 4, forming blood clots—a process that researchers suggest explains the clotting issues associated with the vaccine.
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In early 2021, France—along with several other European countries—suspended and later limited the use of the British-developed AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.
This decision came after reports emerged of a small number of patients experiencing a rare but potentially fatal blood clotting disorder.
Known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), this condition involves the formation of blood clots alongside a low platelet count, even though platelets normally help blood to clot.
This complication, initially missed in safety trials due to its rarity, is now recognized as a potential side effect of the vaccine and has also been referred to as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).
Cases of VITT linked to AstraZeneca’s vaccine were first identified in Europe as early as March 2021, shortly after the vaccine’s rollout in the UK.
However, it wasn’t until April that sufficient evidence prompted authorities to restrict its use.
Initially, the vaccine was no longer offered to people under 30, and by May 2021, the restriction was extended to only those over 40.
Despite these concerns, the vaccine remained in use for older populations, who faced higher risks of severe illness or death from Covid-19, as it continued to provide effective protection against the virus.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is based on a genetically engineered common cold virus originally found in chimpanzees. It has been weakened so it cannot cause illness in humans and is engineered to carry the gene for the coronavirus spike protein—the part of the virus Covid-19 uses to enter human cells.
Neil Miller, 50, collapsed and died in May 2021 shortly after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. His wife, Kam, has since criticized the aftercare provided to those affected and their families.
Around 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were administered in the UK.
Official data from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) reports that at least 81 people in the UK have died from blood clot complications believed to be linked to the AstraZeneca jab.
An unknown number of others have suffered injuries or disabilities potentially related to the vaccine.
Subsequent Covid vaccine rollouts have reduced or completely phased out the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine in favor of alternatives from Pfizer and Moderna.
With no new doses ordered by health officials, the AstraZeneca vaccine has effectively been withdrawn from use in the UK.
Despite these rare but serious side effects, the AstraZeneca shot is credited with saving an estimated 6 million lives worldwide during the Covid pandemic.
According to the latest NHS data, 293 individuals or their families have successfully applied to a government compensation scheme for vaccine injuries, with their claims accepted as linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
However, under the widely criticized government compensation scheme, not all vaccine injury survivors will receive the full £120,000 payout.
To qualify, individuals must be at least 60% disabled by their injuries—for example, losing a limb, a sense like sight, or experiencing complete paralysis.
The case of the French man comes amid rising concerns over what researchers have termed “post-vaccination syndrome.”
This condition, linked to mRNA vaccines such as those made by Pfizer and Moderna—but not AstraZeneca—appears to cause symptoms like brain fog, dizziness, tinnitus, and exercise intolerance, according to researchers.
Some sufferers also exhibit distinct biological changes, including altered immune cell profiles and the presence of coronavirus proteins in their blood, even years after vaccination.
The syndrome is also believed to increase the risk of reactivating the Epstein-Barr virus, which can lead to flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, and nerve problems.
The full findings of this small study have yet to be published or peer-reviewed, and the authors stressed that their results “are still a work in progress.”
AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine Timeline
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January 2020: Oxford University scientists begin work on a Covid vaccine after the World Health Organization declares the virus a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”
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March 2020: Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces the first national lockdown. The government invests £88 million in the Oxford vaccine’s development.
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April 2020: Scientists, in partnership with AstraZeneca, start the first clinical trials involving 1,000 volunteers in the UK.
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July 2020: Results from phase two trials of AstraZeneca’s vaccine are published.
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4 December 2020: The Covid vaccine rollout begins with the Pfizer vaccine, prioritizing over-80s and care home workers.
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8 December 2020: Phase three trial results for AstraZeneca’s vaccine are published, which health officials use to approve its UK use.
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30 December 2020: AstraZeneca’s vaccine receives emergency use approval.
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4 January 2021: The first AstraZeneca doses are administered. Brian Pinker, 82, is the first person to receive the jab outside clinical trials.
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8 January 2021: Frontline NHS staff begin receiving vaccines.
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8 February 2021: People aged over 70 are invited for vaccination.
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14 February 2021: Rollout expands to include those with underlying health conditions and over-65s.
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28 February 2021: All individuals over 60 are invited for vaccination.
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11 March 2021: Several European countries suspend AstraZeneca vaccine use following the death of a 60-year-old woman from a blood clot.
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17 March 2021: UK begins offering Covid jabs to people over 50.
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19 March 2021: Some European countries reverse their suspension of AstraZeneca vaccine after initial investigations find no link to blood clots.
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31 March 2021: People living with vulnerable adults, regardless of age, are invited for vaccination in the UK.
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7 April 2021: The UK restricts AstraZeneca vaccine use to people over 30 due to a small but statistically significant risk of blood clots in younger people.
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30 April 2021: People over 40 are called forward for vaccination.
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7 May 2021: AstraZeneca vaccine use is limited to over-40s.
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August 2022: Government announces it will no longer order AstraZeneca vaccines, focusing instead on mRNA alternatives.
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March 2023: Dozens of patients and families launch legal action against AstraZeneca.
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April 2023: The widower of BBC presenter Lisa Shaw, who died after receiving the vaccine, announces he will sue AstraZeneca.
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4 August 2023: Anish Tailor, whose wife Alpa died in March 2021 following her first AstraZeneca dose, files a product liability claim against AstraZeneca in London’s High Court. His lawyer says nearly 50 other clients plan to sue in the coming months.
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17 August 2023: IT engineer Jamie Scott, who suffered a brain haemorrhage the day after his first AstraZeneca jab, begins legal proceedings. His law firm represents about 40 other individuals and bereaved families.
