Herpes infections can be a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine, experts have revealed.
Scientists in Israel identified six cases in a new study of patients who developed a rash known as herpes zoster after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, according to a study in the journal Rheumatology.
Herpes zoster starts out as a small, itchy rash, but if left untreated, it can cause nerve damage and pain, the Jerusalem Post reported.
This can include a prolonged burning sensation on the skin even after the rash has cleared.
Researchers from Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv and Carmel Medical Center in Haifa found that people with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases had a higher risk of developing the herpes infection.
Of the 491 patients, six people or 1.2 percent experienced the infection, researchers said.
The six patients all have mild cases of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease and were young, although the infection is generally more common in people over 50 years of age.
“That’s why we reported on it,” said Dr. Victoria Furer, the lead author, against the outlet.
Five of them developed herpes zoster after the first dose, and the sixth got it after the second.
But it is still unclear whether the vaccine caused herpes zoster cases.
“We can’t say at this point that the vaccine is the cause,” Furer told the outlet. “We can say it can be a trigger in some patients.”
Furer said further research is needed and an implication could be that patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases are encouraged to get vaccinated against herpes zoster before getting their COVID-19 shot.
“We shouldn’t scare people,” she told the Jerusalem Post. “The general message is to get vaccinated. It’s just important to be aware. “