Some social media accounts blame the Covid-19 vaccines for the outbreak of acute hepatitis … [+] in 12 countries. (Photo: Getty)
getty
A mysterious hepatitis epidemic has already affected at least 169 children in 12 countries, as I wrote to Forbes on April 26. This is mysterious because the cause is still unclear. But think about what some on social media are trying to blame for the epidemic. Here’s a hint: it’s something that doesn’t turn you into a giant magnet and doesn’t make the keys stick to your forehead. Yes, anonymous social media accounts are trying to link the hepatitis epidemic that killed at least one child and 17 requiring liver transplants with, please, drum rolls, Covid-19 vaccines. And some of these accounts, along with a website called The Exposé, cite two “studies” claiming to serve as evidence.
For example, here’s a tweet from an account that calls itself Donald J. Trump’s Tracker:
From Twitter
From Twitter
It is now unclear who the “deputy minister” is and whether he looks like an “deputy chairman” of an organization or an “assistant secretary” of a government body. But when you claim that someone said something, at least state the person’s real name or a link to the source. You can track Trump, but others need to keep track of where you’re getting your information from.
There is also a small problem with blaming Covid-19 vaccines for hepatitis outbreaks. A World Health Organization (WHO) report of 23 April made it clear that “The hypotheses surrounding the side effects of Covid-19 vaccines are not currently supported, as the vast majority of children affected have not received the Covid-19 vaccine. 19 “. So how exactly can a child get hepatitis from a Covid-19 vaccine when that child has not even received a Covid-19 vaccine? It would be like blaming Madonna for being late for work when you haven’t even met Madonna.
So what about the two so-called “studies” that some are throwing around? For example, check out the following tweet that uses fire emojis and offers a post on The Exposé:
From Twitter
From Twitter
Well, the so-called references to Pizer’s study in this tweet are actually something published in Current Issues in Molecular Biology on February 25, 2022, long before the WHO announced the outbreak of hepatitis. All of this research has shown that when human liver cells in a test tube are exposed to the components of the Pfizer Covid-19 mRNA vaccine, the liver cells absorb the components of the vaccine fairly quickly. Of course, unless you happen to be a giant tube, this does not necessarily mean that when you receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, all components of the vaccine will immediately go to your liver. And the fact that the components of the vaccine can enter the liver cells does not suggest that Covid-19 vaccines are to blame for the outbreak of hepatitis. For example, you can show that having 50 marmots in bed can keep you awake all night, especially if you have to play with them. However, this does not necessarily mean that marmots are to blame for the lack of sleep that Americans receive in general.
Then there was this other “new study” suggested by a tweet from another anonymous social media account and another post on The Exposé:
From Twitter
From Twitter
This so-called study is not actually a formal study, but instead a case report published in the Journal of Hepatology on April 21, 2022. The case report describes what happened to a 52-year-old man in Germany who developed acute hepatitis 2. up to three weeks after receiving the Pfizer Covid-19 mRNA vaccine. Tests of his liver showed evidence of inflammation as well as the presence of T cells. T cells, otherwise known as T lymphocytes, are white blood cells that perform various functions to protect your body’s immune system. The presence of T cells strongly suggests that inflammation of the male liver may be due to the response of his immune system to vaccination against Covid-19. Doctors believe these findings are “compatible with probable autoimmune hepatitis” and treat it with oral budesonide and ultimately steroids combined with ursodeoxycholic acid. Eventually, within eight weeks, the man’s liver enzyme levels returned to normal.
So, yes, this case was evidence that acute hepatitis could potentially be a side effect of the Pfizer Covid-19 mRNA vaccine. Again, however, the key difference is that this is a case report, not a study. He showed what happened to a man (in this case unmarried in number, not marital status) after vaccination. The case report cannot tell you how often or how likely an event may occur. For example, last month I covered Forbes with a case report of a woman who ended up with a glass cup stuck in her bladder for four years. Such a rare event does not necessarily mean that you should never use a glass again or that you should run away screaming every time someone tries to pour you a drink. Similarly, a case report or even several reports of acute hepatitis following Covid-19 vaccination should not be a reason to avoid Covid-19 vaccines. So far, there is no evidence that acute hepatitis is anything more than a potential very rare side effect.
In addition, not all cases of acute hepatitis are the same. Acute hepatitis is a very broad term for sudden inflammation of the liver. The man in the case report survived his acute hepatitis attack apparently without any permanent injuries. This was not close to the damage seen among some of the children affected by the ongoing hepatitis epidemic.
At this point, the leading culprit behind the hepatitis epidemic is type 41 adenovirus, possibly in combination with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) coronavirus, as I described for Forbes earlier. There are now many different types of adenoviruses. While some species are more likely to cause symptoms of the common cold or respiratory problems, type 41 adenovirus is usually spread by the fecal-oral route (which is a good way to say feces in the mouth). It usually affects your gut, leading to gastroenteritis.
Covid-19 vaccines use different types of adenoviruses, such as Astra-Zeneca using chimpanzee adenovirus and Johnson & Johnson vaccine using type 26 adenovirus. In both cases, the adenovirus is inactivated to prevent disease. However, some anonymous social media accounts have taken advantage of all the work with adenovirus, claiming that this is evidence that adenovirus-based vaccines AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 are linked to the hepatitis outbreak:
From Twitter
From Twitter
Again, such claims ignore the fact that most children affected by the hepatitis epidemic have not received the Covid-19 vaccine, whether or not the vaccines are based on adenovirus. This fact would make it difficult for any claims about Covid-19 vaccines to stick like keys on the forehead.
Add Comment