The Claim:
Gynecologist James Thorp claims that COVID vaccines cause immune system suppression causing a spike in pertussis (whooping cough) rates.
The Facts:
The above tweet references an NBC News article that gives an explanation of the rise in pertussis cases, none of which have to do with COVID vaccination. While the article notes that pertussis (whooping cough) is surging in Europe and China, most of the U.S. is seeing fewer cases than before the pandemic. The article also points to people having missed pertussis vaccination during the pandemic, leaving more people vulnerable to the illness.
Vaccine-Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (VAIDS) is not a real condition. The term appears to have been coined by a blogger in 2021 and cannot be found in any medical literature. AIDS, or Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome, is caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a virus that attacks and destroys immune cells, leaving people vulnerable to other diseases.
With over 13 billion doses of COVID vaccine given, we can feel certain that the vaccine cannot destroy or weaken the immune system. In fact, COVID vaccines have been found to boost the immune system against COVID infection for months. Waning immunity is specific to the virus that causes COVID and is not a problem with the entire immune system.
A study published last year found that even mild cases of COVID-19 can weaken the immune system, especially impacting T-cells, which are crucial for long-term virus protection. The research compared T-cell responses among three groups: unvaccinated individuals who had COVID, those vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine without prior infection, and people vaccinated post-recovery from COVID. They discovered that the vaccinated individuals who had recovered from COVID showed significantly lower levels of CD8 or killer T-cells, which are essential for eliminating infected cells, compared to those vaccinated without prior infection. This suggests that COVID might cause lasting damage to this part of the immune system.
And apparently we have to say again, mRNA vaccines cannot change your genetics since mRNA cannot reach the nucleus of the cell, where DNA is found.
Disclaimer: Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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