A new study shows that patients who have received experimental doses of HIV RNA vaccine have developed an unexpected side effects that require further investigations.
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About 7% of the volunteers included in the test have accused itching rashes, more precisely hives. Although in some cases it has disappeared, more than half of the affected continued to experience hives even one year after the administration of the vaccine, and some after almost three years, informs the Daily Mail.
Data analysis showed that the volunteers who developed hives had been more likely to have received the ARN Anti-Covid ARN vaccine produced by the modern. However, the researchers point out that this observation does not necessarily involve a direct connection between the two types of vaccines, and the exact causes of the reaction remain unclear.
The reaction was observed in the test of three different anti-HIV vaccine formulas developed by the modern, all using the messenger RNA technology for Covid vaccines. The study involved 108 HIV-negative volunteers, divided into six groups according to the type and dose of the administered vaccine.
The participants initially received a dose of vaccine, followed by the boosters at 12 and 24 weeks.
The specialists at the University of Pittsburgh, who made the report published in Annals of Internal Medicine, concluded that the vaccines were “Generally safe and well tolerated.” However, the appearance of hives in seven participants, regardless of the administered formula, was considered an unexpected result.
A possible explanation, say the researchers, could include a combination of factors related to the components of the vaccine, dosage and unknown environmental factors.
Independent experts have warned that although urticaria is generally a minor condition, it can contribute to the reluctance to vaccination and could affect the rate of acceptance of future vaccines.
Currently, HIV continues to affect millions of people worldwide. Although there are extremely effective treatments that prevent development to AIDS, there is no effective vaccine against the virus.
A vaccine capable of providing life protection against HIV would be a major scientific discovery, but after four decades of intense research, this did not happen.
In the UK, about 100,000 people live with HIV, and in the US, the figure is about 1.2 million.
