The coronavirus vaccine weakens the body’s immune system, some users say, citing a new study by Dutch scientists.
“Does the BioNTech vaccine weaken the immune system?” – this is how the title of the message of the DMAX and Hamburg 1 TV channels sounds, which is now actively discussed in the German segment of social networks Twitter and Facebook.
The news itself is dedicated to a study by the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands about the effect of this mRNA vaccine on the human immune system.
Its findings were published in May 2021 on the medRxiv platform, designed to publish preliminary research results that have not yet been peer-reviewed by the scientific community and do not have verified data status.
Citing this scientific work, some web users claim that it contains evidence of the negative effect of the BioNTech / Pfizer mRNA vaccine on the immune system. DW figured out what exactly was studied in this study and how substantiated its conclusions were.
In the Netherlands, they found out that the covid vaccine weakens the innate immunity?
No. The study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine against the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and as a result, the effectiveness of the drug was confirmed, one of the authors of the study, Mihai Nethea, said in an interview with DW.
The claim that the study proves that vaccination with the BioNTech / Pfizer coronavirus vaccine weakens the body’s innate immunity is not true, the scientist emphasizes.
“We wanted to study the effects of new mRNA vaccines on immunity. This is important because they will accompany us for a long time,” says Nethea.
The essence of the Dutch BioNTech / Pfizer mRNA vaccine study
The study authors analyzed the immune response of 16 volunteers to various stimulants. At the same time, it was confirmed that vaccination with the BioNTech vaccine affects both acquired and innate immunity.
The cells of the immune system of the study participants were stimulated not only with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but also with other pathogens (particles of viruses, fungi and bacteria). It turned out that the response of the immune system was either stronger or weaker than usual, depending on the type of stimulant and the time of analysis.
According to the head of the German Society for Immunology Christine Falk, the results of this work show how finely the immune system works at the molecular level, and suggest that innate immunity can be “trained”.
Are you more likely to get sick after vaccination?
No, this is not true. The human immune system is so versatile that it can fight viruses on several fronts at the same time, points out Christine Falk.
“Imagine: in our body there is a whole army of T-cells and B-cells, and only ten of them are currently fighting with spike proteins, and the rest of the army is at the ready,” explains the scientist. “So there is no reason to worry that the immune the system becomes more vulnerable after vaccination. “
Are the changes in the immune system caused by mRNA vaccines dangerous?
The wording “reprogramming of innate immunity”, which was used by journalists from TV channels DMAX and Hamburg 1, especially worried users of social networks.
At first glance, it seems that we are talking about irreversible changes caused by manipulation of the human immune system. However, in fact, this phrase is synonymous with the expressions “trained immunity” and “innate immunological resistance”.
Particles of steel. What was found in the Moderna vaccine
All vaccines, not just SARS-CoV-2 drugs, affect innate immunity, Falk said. “Reprogramming the innate immune response cannot be equated with weakening the entire immune system,” says, for his part, the author of the Dutch study, Mihai Nethea.
Enhanced protection against fungi and weakened against viruses
One of the users of the social network Twitter, when discussing the Dutch study, refers to the famous German immunologist and publicist, head of the Institute for Medical Microbiology at the University Hospital in Halle, Alexander Kekule.
According to the user, he claims that Dutch scientists have come to the conclusion that vaccination with the BioNTech / Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine weakens immunity to other viruses. Is this so and what exactly did the German immunologist say?
On May 25, 2021, Kekule in his podcast Kekules Corona-Kompass on the air of the German public law media company MDR really spoke about a new study by Dutch scientists about the effect of inoculation with the BioNTech / Pfizer mRNA vaccine on immunity.
Kekule recalled that not only antibodies and the so-called cytotoxic T cells that appear after vaccination as part of acquired immunity are important for the immune system, but also innate immunity, which begins to work even before the formation of a “memory” of the pathogen.
“And it is this immunity, which has nothing to do with vaccination, that is modulated (as a result of vaccination. – Ed.),” The expert explains.
“The amazing thing is that this modulation, as the Dutch show, is that some of the defense mechanisms that work against certain viruses and bacteria are slowed down by vaccination. This means that when I get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, it naturally activates the immune response of the body to infection with this new virus. However, in parallel, the immune response to infections with other viruses slows down. , has a less effective immune defense, “says Alexander Kekule literally.
At the same time, he points out that other cases are known to immunologists – when a person vaccinated against virus A is better protected from virus B.
“But in this case, innate immunity decreases. At the same time – attention! – with regard to fungal diseases, everything happens exactly the opposite. That is, if you were vaccinated with the BioNTech vaccine, you have an enhanced immune response to fungi, but a weakened immune response to other viruses and bacteria, “explains Kekule.
At the time of publication of the material DW Alexander Kekule did not respond to the editorial request with a request to comment on his words about the Dutch study.
Does vaccination change our immune system for a long time?
No. According to Mihai Nethea, changes in the innate immune response of the body to nonspecific stimulants after vaccination with the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine are short-term.
This is confirmed by the experience of Christine Falk. Already two weeks after the second vaccination against COVID-19, the immune system returned to normal operation, having the necessary antibodies in stock.
BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine supposedly enhances protection against fungal diseases
From the point of view of the immunologist Falk, the danger is, rather, a change in the immune system that occurs as a result of an illness.
“We examined 100 patients. All of them showed displacement of the immune cells in the blood. This means that even in the absence of complications, the virus makes a“ mess ”in the immune system. Even with a mild illness, the immune system fights with all its might. noticeable even after months. And this causes me great concern, “- sums up Falk.
A source: Russian service DW
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