Update to Covid vaccines cause shingles: iCAN analysis of CDC vsafe data.
In December 2022 I wrote about a Japanese study that found that Covid vaccines caused shingles in a Japanese sufferer.
Well there is now data from the v-SAFE app confirming this, that ICAN has been analysing.
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.
All of this has been added to my original article:
