Herpes infection possibly linked to COVID-19 vaccine

Herpes infections may be a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine, experts have revealed.

Scientists in Israel identified six cases in a new study of patients developing a skin rash known as herpes zoster after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, according to a research.

Herpes zoster starts off as a small, itchy skin rash, but if left untreated, it could cause nerve damage and pain, the Jerusalem Post reported.

This can include a prolonged burning sensation on the skin even after the rash disappears.

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Researchers from Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and Carmel Medical Center in Haifa found those with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases had a higher risk of developing the herpes infection.

Out of 491 patients, six people or 1.2 percent experienced the infection, researchers said.

The six patients all have mild cases of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases and were young, though the infection is generally more common in those over the age of 50.

"That is why we reported on it," Dr. Victoria Furer, the lead author, told the outlet.

Five of them developed herpes zoster after the first dose and the sixth got it after the second.

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But it’s still unclear whether the vaccine caused the cases of herpes zoster.

"We cannot say the vaccine is the cause at this point," Furer told the outlet. "We can say it might be a trigger in some patients."

Furer said further research is necessary and one implication could be that patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases be encouraged to get vaccinated against herpes zoster before getting their COVID-19 shot.

"We should not scare people," she told the Jerusalem Post. "The overall message is to get vaccinated. It is just important to be aware."

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5 Important Vaccines for Older Adults

People of all ages get sick, older adults and young infants are especially vulnerable to potentially serious diseases. Getting vaccinated is one of the best ways to ensure you and your grandkids are as protected as possible. So, whether you're about to meet your first grandchild or your tenth, here are five vaccines you should talk to your doctor about getting beforehand. 

 

1. Influenza Vaccine

Most people believe that the flu is a stomach bug or a bad cold. But it is dangerous and can be a fatal-respiratory virus. In fact, anywhere from 12,000 to 56,000 people die due to the flu each year in the US, and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized. Many of these deaths are in those with pre-existing medical conditions.
However, healthy individuals are not excluded from the list. The flu is a big deal, and the vaccine is recommended for everyone over 6 months of age, with very few exceptions. Grandparents especially should get the flu vaccine each year, not only to protect themselves but to protect the youngest members of their families. In fact, until babies receive their first dose at 6 months, they are at the mercy of those around them to get vaccinated and keep them safe. 
2. Pertussis Vaccine aka Tdap
If you have a grandchild on the way, you might have already been asked to get the Tdap vaccine, which can protect against three diseases, including pertussis or 'whooping cough'. This disease is frequently under-diagnosed in adults because, after childhood, it tends to have milder symptoms.
Many older adults don't realize they are infected, and often dismiss any signs of infection as allergies. But even if symptoms are mild, or absent, you can still pass the bacteria to other people, including to vulnerable newborns for whom pertussis can be dangerous. In fact, half of all babies under a year old who get pertussis need to be hospitalized. The first dose of the pertussis vaccine is given at two months of age, but the series actually includes multiple doses over a span of years, and it's not 100% effective. Even with the vaccine, a small number of vaccinated infants can still get sick. 

3. Pneumococcus Vaccines

Pneumococcus - a bacterium that can cause pneumonia, among other things, can often be passed from young kids to older adults. In children, pneumococcus can lead to mild illnesses like ear infections, or a more serious thing, like meningitis. But, in older adults, pneumococcus is a leading cause of pneumonia which results in an estimated 900,000 cases each year in the United States alone.
While more than 90% of U.S. children under age 3 are fully vaccinated against pneumococcus, the rate is lower in adults over 65. Depending on your age or health status, there are two types of pneumococcal vaccines, and depending on your age or health status, you will need both of them. 
4. Herpes Zoster aka Shingles Vaccine
If you're over 60, you should look into getting the shingles shot, and this is true even if you've already had shingles at least once. While you can't actually give shingles to your grandchildren, you can give them chicken pox. How? The two diseases are caused by the same virus. When you are infected with chickenpox - which almost everyone before 1980 had - the virus can stay dormant in your body and reactivate later in life causing shingles.
And when you have shingles, you can spread the virus to someone who hasn't had chickenpox or who hasn't been vaccinated against it yet. Both diseases cause rashes, though the shingles rash is often more painful and tends to be isolated to one side of your body, or along your nerves. Sometimes, the pain from shingles can last for weeks, months, or even years after the rash goes away. 

5. MMR—Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine

If you were born in 1957 or later, and you haven't been vaccinated against measles, you may want to get a booster dose. Measles is extremely common and almost everyone got it at some point until the measles vaccine became widely available. While vaccinations have become commonplace, it still remains to be the leading cause of death in small children worldwide, killing more than an estimated 100,000 people each year.

There are some families choosing to delay or forgo vaccines, nowadays, however, measles is making a comeback. So, even if you don't think that you are at risk for passing along the measles - or mumps - or rubella for that matter - it is still a good idea to make sure you are up-to-date on this vaccine, just in case. 

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Shingles, painful summer malady, rises with mercury

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A chickenpox bout does not in sure one against the contagion. The virus just stays dormant, waiting for the host to show signs of weakness to surface again in a different avatar this time as shingles.

With the peak of summer just two months away, city doctors are all set to see the routine summer-related ailments, including chickenpox. For the last few years, they have added a new malady to their list - herpes zoster, also known as shingles. Caused by the same virus that triggers chickenpox, varicella-zoster, shingles presents as a single stripe of blisters on either the left or the right side of the torso.

Doctors say the infection is often misdiagnosed as it first manifests as pain."The blister may develop three or four days later. In some cases, it may not appear at all. So, the symptoms are often mistaken for problems affecting the heart, lungs or kidneys," said K N Sarveswari, consultant dermatologist, Sundaram Medical Foundation.

 After a chickenpox bout, the virus lies dormant in the nerve tissues. Years later, it resurface when the immune system is weak. Doctors say stress, erratic sleeping patterns, malnutrition and trauma can also rouse the virus.

The elderly, most of who have already had chickenpox once, form the largest group of people who suffer from the infection. Shanthi Raju, assistant professor, geriatric medicine at Madras Medical College, said the department saw at least 10 cases of shingles in the past month. "The infection, like chicken pox, surfaces during summers and the blister stay on for a week. However, there are a lot of other differences - patients rarely present with fever, the blisters form only on one side of the body along the affected nerve and the pain may last even after the blisters are gone," said Dr Shanthi. Doctors observed that diabetes also precipitated the infection as it lowers immunity levels.

Most of the elderly say the pain which comes with the infection can be constant dull, and cause a burning sensation "Sometimes, the pain can be jabbing or just numbness," said Dr Shanthi.

While vaccine is available to prevent shingles, doctors say awareness is still low among the public as many believe they are immune to the virus after having contracted chickenpox once. "We treat patients who come to us with anti-viral and advise them bed rest," said infectious diseases specialist Dr V Ramasubramanian, adding he also advised the patients to keep the blisters covered to prevent the infection from spreading.

Director of Public Health K Kulandaisamy said officials have been alerted to monitor areas that register unusually high number of cases of chickenpox and shingles. Public health specialists say cases of shingles have seen a rise over the past few years. "The incidence of herpes zoster is still relatively low, but we have included the virus too under our surveillance," he said.