Are Covid-19 Vaccines linked to Shingles?
[ Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash; modified by author ]
>>Thanks to Cheryl Johnson’s comment, I have posted a link to one patient’s description of Shingles.<<
Mj Johnson,
NO. None whatsoever.
That’s not possible.
Shingles is a whole other disease caused by a specific virus. It is not a general condition that can be experienced by those who do not contract that virus. Here’s one patient’s experience with Shingles:[1]
If you don’t have the varicella-zoster virus in your system as a result of having had chickenpox as a youngster, you will not get Shingles. No other virus or vaccine can cause Shingles. As the Mayo Clinic states,
“Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.”[2]
However, Johns Hopkins notes that
“The side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are similar to what is observed after the shingles vaccine.”[3]
That should be good news for me, for instance, as I have had both doses of the Shingles vaccine and experienced no side effects at all. Both vaccines require 2 doses separated by a significant interval of weeks or months.[4] Here’s what the company that makes the Shingles vaccine has to say about the side effects of their “Shingrix” vaccine:[5]
While Shingles can be activated by various life events, getting ANY vaccine is not known to be one of them. Generally, the varicella-zoster virus reactivates when the immune system is weakened. Vaccines strengthen the immune system, tuning it up to produce antibodies against specific diseases. They do not weaken it. Here’s how Healthline describes possible factors that might cause Shingles:
“Age is the factor most associated with the strength of the immune system. As you get older, you’re more likely to have one or more of the following things that weaken your immunity:
- natural age-related decline in immunity
- immunosuppressant medications, such as chemotherapy, long-term corticosteroids, and anti-inflammatory medication
- diseases and conditions that attack your immune system, such as HIV and hypogammaglobulinemia
- autoimmune diseases that are treated with immunosuppressants, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and lupus
- procedures that sometimes require immunosuppressants afterward, such as bone marrow transplants and kidney transplants
You’re most likely to get shingles if you’re 50 or older. In addition, disease severity and likelihood of complications increase with age starting around 50.”[6]
Consult with your doctor if you have concerns about taking any of the variety of Covid-19 vaccines available. If you are a senior citizen, you should also consider getting the vaccine against Shingles. Both of these diseases are horrible, but the one most likely to take your life is Covid-19.
-Jeff
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