You've probably seen or heard quite a few comments about the fact that we don’t yet know the long-term consequences of COVID-19 vaccines. When vaccines have caused long-term consequences in the past, that has invariably started within a month or 2 of that vaccine dose.
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The much more worrying prospect is long-term complications of the infection itself, which we don’t yet know because COVID-19 has only been around for under two years. When you catch a virus, the virus uses your cells to create new virus particles.
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During the infection, that happens inside many cells, often all over your body. Not infrequently that leaves some of the virus’s genetic material in your genes. Right now, about 5 – 8% of your DNA is made up of junk DNA from viruses that you or your ancestors caught.
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Below is a brief list of some of the unexpected later onset complications from viral infections we encounter.
•Measles: subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (invariably fatal at a rate of 1 in ~100,000 cases)
•Hepatitis B or C: cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer
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•Measles: subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (invariably fatal at a rate of 1 in ~100,000 cases)
•Hepatitis B or C: cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer
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•EBV: various types of lymphoma, cancers at the back of the nose, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease
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•CMV: major challenges if you need any sort of organ or bone marrow transplant later on, potential for reactivation when unwell with other serious health problems later on, congenital CMV in babies
•HPV: cancers of the cervix, penis, anus or throat
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•HPV: cancers of the cervix, penis, anus or throat
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•Herpes simplex 1 & 2: reactivations throughout life, encephalitis
•Chicken pox (or varicella): shingles from later reactivation of the virus
•Influenza: bad ‘flu years are always followed by a rise in heart attacks and strokes in the subsequent 1 – 2 years
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•Chicken pox (or varicella): shingles from later reactivation of the virus
•Influenza: bad ‘flu years are always followed by a rise in heart attacks and strokes in the subsequent 1 – 2 years
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•Rubella: congenital rubella syndrome in babies
•Parvovirus B19: hydrops fetalis in babies
•Human herpes virus 6: various types of organ damage (e.g., lung, liver or brain inflammation) after an organ transplant
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•Parvovirus B19: hydrops fetalis in babies
•Human herpes virus 6: various types of organ damage (e.g., lung, liver or brain inflammation) after an organ transplant
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•Human herpes virus 8: Kaposi sarcoma, some lymphomas, Castleman's disease
•Polio: post-polio syndrome
•BK virus: damage to kidneys if immune suppressed later
•JC virus: progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy if immune suppressed later
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•Polio: post-polio syndrome
•BK virus: damage to kidneys if immune suppressed later
•JC virus: progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy if immune suppressed later
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With nearly 5 billion doses of the vaccines now given around the world, we have an enormous amount of information on their safety, effectiveness and side effects.
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We know they get broken down quickly in your body so the chance of any unexpected late complications that we don’t already know about is incredibly small.
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If you are genuinely worried about long-term consequences, then the much bigger concern is the long-term risks of the virus itself rather than the vaccines.
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