2024-02-26 10:38:45
A study carried out on 99 million people in eight countries demonstrates a link between anti-Covid vaccine and the appearance of certain pathologies, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome. What are the side effects exactly? Do they appear often in Belgium? “We must distinguish between AstraZeneca and Pfizer,” analyzes virologist Pierre Van Damme.
If the anti-Covid vaccine can cause classic side effects, such as headache, fever or muscle pain, it has also had more serious and rarer side effects. “These are conditions that were difficult to detect at the start of the pandemic,” explains Professor Pierre Van Damme, vaccinologist and professor at the University of Antwerp. “Scientists have obviously tested the vaccine extensively. But it is not possible to distinguish such rare cases in studies involving thousands of people. We therefore need to analyze millions of people.”
A large-scale study, led by the Global Vaccine Data Network, an international research network, analyzed health data from more than 99 million people from eight different countries, namely Argentina, New Zealand, Scotland, France, Denmark, Australia, Canada or Finland. It reveals that there is a link between the administration of the vaccine and certain diseases.
© Wannes Nimmegeers
Regarding the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, scientists noted an increase in the number of Guillain-Barré syndromes, a rare condition in which the patient’s immune system attacks peripheral nerves, following the first dose was injected. Typical symptoms are tingling and paralysis in the legs or arms.
“According to the study, the risk is almost tripled. Without a vaccine, we would expect ‘only’ 66 cases, but with the millions vaccinated, this figure rises to 190. So we are talking regarding three to four cases per million vaccinated. We don’t know exactly why this is the case. But we know that viruses can cause this phenomenon more often than vaccines. The risk is, for example, higher if you have already suffered from the flu or been infected with the Covid-19 virus.
Another rare consequence of the vaccine is an increase in cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), compared to average values. It corresponds to a cerebral venous obstruction (localized or diffuse) by a blood clot. You may then suffer from paralysis, speech difficulties or balance problems. “Here too the risk was clearly higher. Three times more cases were observed. In total, 69 cases were recorded. This remains very rare in the context of a study involving several million people,” the specialist points out.
© BELGIUM
Regarding the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, known as RNA vaccines, or messenger RNA vaccines, the study confirmed the links with the rare side effects of myocarditis and pericarditis (two heart diseases). The mRNA contained in these vaccines once morest Covid-19 will be converted into S protein (Spike) which is found on the envelope of the Sars-Cov-2 virus (during an infection, this protein allows it to enter the cell) to trigger an immune response aimed at protecting once morest this protein.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body. “We are talking regarding one to ten cases of myocarditis per million vaccinated. This remains a lower risk than following infection with Covid-19 (around 40 cases of myocarditis per million infections with Covid-19)”.
As for pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardium, the translucent fibro-serous sac that surrounds the heart. It can cause pressure in the chest and pain when breathing deeply. After a first dose, the risk of pericarditis was 1.7 times higher than expected, and following a fourth dose, it was 2.6 times higher.
Are these conditions also observed in Belgium?
According to the latest figures from Sciensano, more than nine million people have received at least one dose of the corona vaccine. In the meantime, the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) has collected all reports of rare side effects for the four main vaccines. She received 57 reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome, 11 of cerebral venous thrombosis and 290 of pericarditis or myocarditis.
“This may seem like a lot, but it is important to note that these are spontaneous reports. There is therefore not necessarily a link between the condition and a vaccine,” specifies the FAMHP.
Should we have been more attentive to these side effects?
“During the pandemic, it was really necessary to act quickly,” explains Pierre Van Damme. “We wanted to obtain as many vaccines as possible, which have been approved, in order to protect as many people as possible once morest the coronavirus. According to the latest estimates, we have saved around 1.4 million lives in Europe. This is far more than the patients who faced rare side effects. In these moments of crisis, we must quickly make an assessment between maximum protection once morest a virus of which we do not yet know all the consequences and the rare possible side effects. I think we did it correctly”.
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