Researchers have found through an Israeli study that a herpes infection can be caused by Covid-19 vaccinations for certain patients with underlying conditions.
The study identified six individuals who developed a rash known as herpes zoster after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Five developed the results after their first dose of vaccination and the sixth developed the results after the second dose.
Herpes zoster causes a red, itchy rash on the skin and can eventually lead to complications such as nerve damage.
Researchers at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv and Carmel Medical Center in Haifa found that the risk of developing herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is likely to increase for patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD).
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The six who developed the herpes infection all had mild cases of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease and were less than 50 years old.
The potential risk still remains relatively small, as only 1.2% of the 491 patients viewed by researchers actually developed the infection.
Principal Investigator Dr. Victoria Furer also told the Jerusalem Post that the Pfizer vaccine cannot be considered certain “cause” of the infections.
“We cannot say at this point that the vaccine is the cause,” she said. “We can say it can be a trigger in some patients.”
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Furer added that people should still be vaccinated, but patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases should be vaccinated against herpes zoster before their Covid vaccinations.
“We shouldn’t scare people,” she said. “The general message is to get vaccinated. It’s just important to be aware. “
Furer said further research is needed to concretely link the herpes zoster outbreaks to the Pfizer vaccine, but she has already received emails from patients around the world reporting similar infections.
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