Merck Pharmaceutical’s shingles vaccine “Zostavax” was introduced in 2006

It was soon recognised that the vaccine could cause chickenpox. A study showed that, within ten minutes of being vaccinated with the shingles vaccine, Zostavax, 50% of those who had taken part in the study had skin samples testing positive for Zostavax VZV DNA, and could potentially infect unvaccinated individuals with chicken pox. So much for unvaccinated individuals putting others at risk! [1]

In August 2014, another side effect was added: shingles! You could not make this up. The vaccine that has always been aggressively marketed to prevent seniors from contracting this excruciating condition was found to actually cause shingles in some individuals. [2]

In February 2016, the FDA approved the addition to the label warning of another potential Zostavax vaccine side effect: “Eye Disorders: necrotizing retinitis”. [2]

Necrotizing retinitis and keratitis cause inflammation and scarring of the eye tissue and can lead to permanent vision loss, unless treated quickly. WebMD reports that:

• 20 individuals (children and adults) developed keratitis within a month of receiving a chickenpox or shingles vaccine.
• Keratitis symptoms for adults developed within 24 days of vaccination, while
• symptoms in children began within 14 days of vaccination.

“Researchers concluded there is a probable relationship between the vaccine and the eye inflammation”. Worryingly, researchers do not know why the shingles shot may cause keratitis, though the condition has been linked to autoimmune disorders. 

The connection between vaccines and autoimmune disease has been widely acknowledged, most recently by medical researchers worldwide in a compilation of studies published in 2015 in the medical textbook, Vaccines & Autoimmunity. 

“UCLA researchers found that only one in 175 people who get the vaccine will be able to dodge a shingles flare-up”[2]. 

• Merck claims Zostavax is 50% effective: in the placebo group, 3.3 percent of the study participants developed shingles, compared to 1.6 percent in the vaccine group. These are quite low incidences. So, while that is a 50% difference,
• the real, absolute risk reduction is just 1.7 percentage points. That is peanuts!
  

Side Effects

According to its current warning label, Zostovax’s most common side effects are “headache, redness, pain, itching, swelling, hard lump, warmth, or bruising where the shot was given.”  However, more serious “side effects” include:

• allergic reactions, which may be serious and may include difficulty in breathing or swallowing
• chickenpox
• fever
• hives at the injection site
• joint pain
• muscle pain
• nausea
• rash
• rash at the injection site
• shingles
• swollen glands near the injection site (that may last a few days to a few weeks)

And these are only the recognised ones!

In the meantime, pharmaceutical companies get paid $150-$300 a shot for this seriously questionable shingles vaccine that can give you shingles!

[1] http://info.cmsri.org/the-driven-researcher-blog/scientists-prove-those-vaccinated-for-shingles-can-infect-others-with-chicken-pox

[2] http://info.cmsri.org/the-driven-researcher-blog/merck-admits-shingles-vaccine-can-cause-eye-damage-and-shingles