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. 2021 Jun 1;9(6):572.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines9060572.

Reactivation of Varicella Zoster Virus after Vaccination for SARS-CoV-2

Mina Psichogiou  1 , Michael Samarkos  1 , Nikolaos Mikos  2 , Angelos Hatzakis  3
Affiliations

Reactivation of Varicella Zoster Virus after Vaccination for SARS-CoV-2

Mina Psichogiou et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Seven immunocompetent patients aged > 50 years old presented with herpes zoster (HZ) infection in a median of 9 days (range 7-20) after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. The occurrence of HZ within the time window 1-21 days after vaccination defined for increased risk and the reported T cell-mediated immunity involvement suggest that COVID-19 vaccination is a probable cause of HZ. These cases support the importance of continuing assessment of vaccine safety during the ongoing massive vaccination for the COVID-19 pandemic and encourage reporting and communication of any vaccination-associated adverse event.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; herpes zoster; mRNA vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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