MEXICO CITY.
AAlthough international health authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that people with multiple sclerosis be among the first vaccinated against COVID-19 and even in countries like Spain they are considered in the groups to obtain booster doses, there is a reduced group of them who cannot even think of such protection.
These are patients with multiple sclerosis to whom their doctors have directly recommended not to be vaccinated, due to the serious side effects that other immunizations have caused to their bodies.
The International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis ensures that the simple fact of having the disease, in which the immune system itself attacks the central nervous system and degrades the protective covering of the nerves, does not make people more vulnerable to acquiring COVID.
However, it indicates that some groups of people with multiple sclerosis are more susceptible to experiencing a severe case, including those over 60 years of age and men, as well as those who take treatments that work by suppressing or modifying the immune system, so they do not being able to get vaccinated puts them at greater risk.
This is the case of Rodrigo Reyes, who since the start of the pandemic has lived practically in seclusion, away from family and friends, in addition to having taken extreme precautions, since, for years, he has known that, for him, both infections and vaccines are risky .
Some patients with multiple sclerosis did get vaccinated, but some of us have the immune system so asleep that we do not get vaccinated … there are few who advised us not to get vaccinated, only those who have practically left us very badly vaccinated “, says Rodrigo , diagnosed with this disease at age 26.
My case was very particular, when I had been treated for a couple of years I wanted to get vaccinated against seasonal influenza and it was too strong, barely and I had vital signs. I had to lower my fever with cold water and ice in my body, I was shaking in such a way that I could not even drink water, so from that moment on, neurologists have recommended that I avoid vaccines ”, he tells Excelsior.
Now 37 years old, in his day to day Rodrigo takes care not to expose himself too much to the sun and high temperatures, as these factors exacerbate fatigue, a common symptom of the disease. People with sclerosis generally feel that they have a “low battery”, an extreme fatigue that sometimes makes it difficult to think clearly. Short-term memory loss, cramps, muscle weakness, tingling skin, burning sensation, dizziness, loss of balance and vision are also common.
Because multiple sclerosis is a pathological condition in which the immune system itself attacks and destroys healthy body organs and tissues – in this case myelin, a substance that covers the nerves – many times the treatment consists of weakening the system immune, exposing you to infection.
Not being able to get vaccinated, when the rest of the population has pinned their hopes on immunization, makes them feel fragile. “Although I know that the vaccine is not miraculous, I do know that it is a useful tool to be able to deal with covid-19 in case of being infected, which makes me feel more useless, since I cannot always help in some activities around the house such as go shopping “, concludes Rodrigo.
SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE
-Extreme fatigue
-Short-term memory loss
-Scramps
-Muscular weakness
-Tingling skin
– Burning sensation
-Dizziness and loss of balance
-Loss of vision
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