Fact check: The mRNA vaccines cause shingles
Yes - the experimental gene therapy injections can cause shingles.
UPDATE: around 2500 free text field entries in the vSAFE app data released by the CDC in April mention shingles as a side effect, and there is a meta-analysis and a data review mentioning supporting this, which I cover below.
Taking the vax can make you a member of a Shingles club.
I know at least 5 people in my group of acquaintances who had a shingles attack following one of the later doses of the mRNA vaccine.
One of these friends, a man of 70, went to his doctor - he had shingles on his legs. He said to his doctor, is this shingles? The doctor said, no, it’s not shingles, but he was very reticent about telling him what it was, probably because of the lovely AHPRA statement last year.
He went to a charity venture at which he volunteers the next day and mentioned this to one of his co-workers. She lifted her trouser leg and showed him the same thing.
“What is it?” he said.
She said, “It’s the vaccine.”
However another group of acquaintances were discussing a resurgence of shingles among three of a group of about fifteen people after many years of not having it, but when I suggested it might be the vaccine I was immediately shut down. “Oh, no, it couldn’t be that.”
Well, it could be that.
A Japanese study makes the link.
This Japanese study of a man who acquired a varicella zoster virus infection (VZV) 13 days after the experimental gene injection and whose symptoms worsened greatly 8 days later when he had the second booster.
He went to the doctor.
After 88 days of enduring these dreadful, disgusting side effects, they performed some biopsies and…
…strikingly, the vaccine-encoded spike protein of the COVID-19 virus was expressed in the vesicular keratinocytes and endothelial cells in the dermis.
That’s right - the Covid-19 Spike protein, the mRNA of which was inserted into his cells so that they could manufacture it - was found in his skin at the site of the VZV lesions.
Discussion
mRNA COVID-19 vaccination might induce persistent VZV reactivation through perturbing the immune system, although it remained elusive whether the expressed spike protein played a pathogenic role.
Conclusion
We presented a case of persistent VZV infection following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and the presence of spike protein in the affected skin. Further vigilance of the vaccine side effect and investigation for the role of SP is warranted.
Furthermore
VZV reactivation frequently arises under immune-exhaustion, such as aging, or immunocompromised conditions caused by immunosuppressive drugs, HIV infection, or malignancies. Reports on VZV reactivation associated with both COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 vaccination suggested dysregulated cellular immunity against VZV to allow reactivation from latent state.2, 4, 5 Here, we present a case of persistent VZV infection after COVID-19 vaccination.
Mayuko Yamamoto MD, PhD, Misaki Kase MD, Hozumi Sano MD, Reiko Kamijima, Shigetoshi Sano MD, PhD Persistent varicella zoster virus infection following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination was associated with the presence of encoded spike protein in the lesion First published: 25 August 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/cia2.12278
Shingles in the v-safe APP
iCAN has been analysing the data from the v-safe app, released under court order by the CDC in April 2024.
They say nearly 2500 free text entries have mentioned shingles in the data received up to this date.
These are some of the free text entries they quote:
“45 minutes after receiving the vaccine I had a flareup of shingles on my leg”
“I had an outbreak of shingles. I havent [sic] had it for around 20 years until now.”
“Shingles flare up on face and scalp. Symptoms started approximately two hours after my shot, and the rash appeared yesterday. I also had shingles approximately one month before the covid vaccine, in a different location.”
“Jan 18 or 19 had pain in back and front on left side along waist and some rash on back still bothering me on 25th so went to Primary care and was diagnosed with shingles. Prescribed Famciclovir for 14 days.”
“I have shingles now. Im [sic] not sure if its [sic] a result from the vaccine or something else. I have extreme pain, stabbing, and burning pain.”
Metanalyses
A research letter published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology ascribes the shingles to a change in the immune system due to the vaccine. They say that immunocompromised people and older people are more prone to having a reactivation of shingles:
The mechanism underlying the link between COVID-19 vaccination and HZ remains elusive; however, vaccination-induced immunomodulation has been proposed. Vaccine-induced massive shift of CD8+ T cells and CD4+ helper T cells may cause temporary inability to suppress latent VZV, allowing for its reactivation.
Previous studies indicate that immunocompromised status and older age are associated with a higher risk of VZV reactivations after vaccination.
The reported median time to onset of HZ after COVID-19 vaccination was 7 to 10 days (range, 2-51 days).
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2023.03.031
Another literature review had a similar result.
Assessment of Evidence
The Japanese study — finding the mRNA in the herpes zoster affected cells and not elsewhere — certainly indicates a causal connection between mRNA vaccination and shingles. The metanalyses and the vsafe app data are the “icing on the cake”, really.
I met a very nice man yesterday who has to shut his business down now (no more profit in it) who told me the same story but insisted it coudln't be shingles because he had the shingles shot....But he also had the Mnra jabs plus booster. I tried to explain to him it was a result of the Mnra probably, and that the shingles shot does not guarantee you won't get shingles....I didn't mention Guillaume Barre is a consquence of either shot...he was lucky it was just shingles.