Rath international
August 2021
Dr. Rath’s Open Letter to the UN
Blueprint for a World Without Disease
Magazine for members of the Dr. Rath Health Alliance
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COVID-19 VACCINES Breakthrough Approach or Unanticipated Health Risk?
EDITORIAL
CONTENT
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EDITORIAL
The world has reached one of the most decisive moments in its history: the battle of humankind for the right to prevent and halt diseases using scientifically proven natural health approaches.
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BLUEPRINT FOR A WORLD WITHOUT DISEASE
Science-based natural health approaches – above all, the optimum use of micronutrients – can help eliminate human diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, cancers – and end the current pandemic anywhere in the world. Moreover, by strengthening the immune defense across the human race, these natural approaches are also the only scientifically effective way to help prevent future pandemics.
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Dear Reader,
Dr. Rath’s Open Letter to the UN
COVID-19 VACCINES
Breakthrough Approach or Unanticipated Health Risk?
The past one and a half centuries will enter into the annals of human history as an episode when a small group of global financial investors tried to take humankind hostage in key areas, including healthcare, with only one goal: to rake in trillions of dollars in profits. Now, the multitrillion-dollar pharmaceutical market is imploding – mainly because it is based on outdated technologies that merely intervene in undesirable disease processes. These outdated pharmaceutical technologies could now be replaced by natural bioactive molecules that can prevent diseases by optimizing the functioning of our body cells. It is now up to the people of the world to take action and liberate humankind from this economically strangulating dependency forever, in an educative and peaceful way. Dr. Rath’s open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres provides the blueprint for achieving this great goal – so that our children and grandchildren can live in a ‘world without disease.’ In this issue of Rath international, we discuss the open letter – and another important topic: COVID-19 vaccines.
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BLUEPRINT FOR A WORLD WITHOUT DISEASE Dr. Rath’s Open Letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres For months, the emergence of numerous coronavirus variants and predicted further COVID-19 waves have been alarming the general public. These are further intensified by a growing number of reports of severe health complications associated with some gene-based vaccines. All the more disturbing is the fact that political representatives of the world’s largest pharmaceutical exporting nations recently advocated the faster distribution of patented vaccines to the developing world.
Acting in the interest of the poorer people of our planet? Certainly not! While the health benefits of the multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical exports to developing countries are limited, they have serious long-term economic and social consequences. This is because they systematically deprive developing countries of already-scarce financial resources and deprive them of the opportunity for economic development and a dignified life for their citizens. This is what pharmaceutical colonialism hidden behind a deceptive veil of charity looks like. However, this strategy is not only fatal from an economic perspective. The export of patented drugs to the developing world has little or no effect on the most widespread and urgent health problems faced by people living in these regions, such as malnutrition, immune deficiencies triggering susceptibility to infectious diseases, and other nutritional deficiency-related diseases. Even worse, the novel vaccines have been insufficiently tested and therefore pose completely unknown risks.
https://voteforreason.com/en/letter-to-united-nations/ COVER STORY
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The export of patented drugs to the developing world has little or no effect on the most widespread and urgent health problems faced by people living in these regions.
Among supporters of the initiative to export more pharmaceutical products to the Third World was UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres. Only a few weeks after issuing this demand, Mr. Guterres gave a remarkable speech to the UN Human Rights Council, in which he astonishingly denounced the fact that international corporations, under the pretext of fighting the pandemic, really only aim at increasing their profits. Apparently, António Guterres does not know which side to take.
With his open letter, Dr. Rath calls on all people who have a humanistic sense of responsibility to oppose the plans for a new “world conquest” with the help of vaccines by a few pharmaceutical exporting countries. Putting an end to pharmaceutical colonialism and creating a “world without disease” will only be possible if we demand that the right to health and life be available to all people, rich and poor alike. You can find Dr. Rath’s open letter to the UN SecretaryGeneral on the website of our "Vote for Reason" campaign. The following excerpt lays out the strategic plan for a "World without Disease”.
Securing the future of mankind Humankind stands at a crossroads. The current crisis poses a unique opportunity for all humankind to • find new, effective and safe ways to end the current pandemic,
Preventing pharmaceutical colonialism – creating a world without disease In this situation, Dr. Rath sees it as his duty to pass on the knowledge of natural control of the coronavirus pandemic through specific micronutrient combinations – and through large-scale agricultural cultivation of micronutrient-rich foods – to governments and people in developing countries. In his open letter to António Guterres, dated March 30, 2021, Dr. Rath describes how the micronutrient approach could be used immediately throughout the world. It is the foundation for creating a world where people can live with dignity, free from hunger and disease. With the "Movement of Life" project, the Dr. Rath Health Foundation has shown a way to sustainably promote health and to save lives in the most remote villages on earth. One of the main goals of this project is to teach families how to grow micronutrient-rich fruits and vegetables. Unlike traditional gardening projects, an important aspect of the initiative is to teach the vital role of essential micronutrients in maintaining health and preventing disease.
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Photo: Enabling people in developing countries to live a dignified life without hunger and disease is a lifelong mission for Dr. Rath, pictured here, aged 22, at an agricultural project at a school in Cameroon.
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• learn how to prevent such developments in the future – through a thorough analysis of the roots of the current crisis, • pave the way for a ‘world without disease’ – created for the people and by the people. Towards this goal everyone shares the responsibility. The most important role in ending the current pandemic is that of the people of the world themselves. One doesn’t need to be a doctor or trained health professional – everyone can understand: • The role of vitamins and other micronutrients as essential catalysts for the metabolism of each cell, particularly the white blood cells (leukocytes) responsible for the defense against viral infections and other invading microorganisms. • That these bioactive molecules are derived from plants, and the knowledge about which of these plants are particularly rich in protective micronutrients should be promoted in every educational institution from kindergarten to public lectures in senior homes. • That the optimum daily intake of these micronutrient-rich fruits and vegetables is an effective and safe way to improve our immune systems and prevent infections. • That an optimum immune system helps to protect the human body against all subtypes of the coronavirus, and that an optimum micronutrient supply as a public health strategy helps to guard against all current and future mutations of the coronavirus.
Enriching our daily diet with vitamins and other micronutrients is the most effective natural way to prevent future pandemics since an optimized immune system is also effective against the invasion of our body by other microorganisms.
• That since an optimized immune system is also effective against the invasion of our body by other microorganisms, enriching our daily diet with vitamins and other micronutrients is the most effective natural way to prevent future pandemics in general. The Alma Ata Declaration 1978 by the World Health Organization stated that ‘Health for All’ worldwide can only be achieved by focusing on prevention and – at the same time – making sure that not just health professionals, but all people, get involved in sharing responsibility for personal and community health. The current crisis calls for the implementation of these principles. Everyone can understand, and everyone can take part!
The most urgent global political tasks a) M aking science-based natural health a human right. Considering the century-long strategic suppression of information about the health benefits of vitamins and other science-based natural health approaches, the next goal is clear: to make free access to science-based natural health approaches a human right. Declaring this a fundamental human right, adding it to the human rights charter of the United Nations and making it binding law in all member countries of the UN, is the only way to protect this and future generations from suffering pandemics and other fatal health consequences.
b) N utrition-based health and agricultural-based medicine as the basis of effective preventive healthcare. The explosion of natural health research during the past decades has consistently shown that plant-derived biological molecules are equal – and in many cases superior – to synthetic pharmaceutical drugs. Moreover, unlike patented synthetic drugs, these natural molecules are safe. Scientific and clinical research establishing the health benefits of micronutrients has reached essentially all disciplines of medicine. Thus, despite some resistance from the status quo, nutrition-based health and plant-derived medicine already today represents the future basis of preventive healthcare. The artificial wall between food and medicines, created
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by the pharmaceutical investment business to protect its global markets with patented drugs, will fall. Medicine will fully embrace plant-derived natural molecules, essential for optimum cellular metabolism and, thereby, prevent diseases. Agriculture at large will no longer just focus on providing food for the people of the world in order to prevent basic hunger. Farmers around the world will become purveyors of modern medicine by growing plants with proven health benefits, on an industrial scale. The close connection between plant-derived micronutrients, optimum cellular function and the prevention of diseases will become an essential topic at every level of education. School and community gardens will be established in every city, town and village on this planet. Such local gardening initiatives will become the cornerstone of a globally effective preventive health care. For the entire developing world, this strategy will be the only way to deliver effective, safe, affordable and sustainable health to hundreds of millions of people living in these parts of the world. For the United Nations this path will be the only reasonable way to fulfill its promise made to the world decades ago of providing ‘Health for All‘. Above all, this avenue will allow the United Nations to reach the ultimate goal for which it was founded three quarters of a century ago: to close the gap between poor and rich countries in relation to the most basic needs of life, to enable hundreds of millions of people living in underprivileged conditions today to finally be able to live a dignified life – and, thus, make a decisive contribution to the preservation of world peace.
c) T he Movement of Life Project The purpose of gardening initiatives is to educate the children as well as the community members of the world about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Children in any country of the world can learn about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables in the classrooms and also plant them in school gardens. For this very purpose, our foundation has launched the Movement of Life project in Africa. Schoolchildren of all ages learn about the health benefits of locally grown fruits and vegetables, plan and maintain school gardens through
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References • Call to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres by Dr. Matthias Rath: “Let’s Build a ‘World Without Disease’ – Now!” Available at: https://voteforreason.com/en/letter-to-united-nations/ (Accessed: 7 May 2021). • Guterres, A. (March 2021) The world faces a pandemic of human rights abuses in the wake of Covid-19. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/globaldevelopment/2021/ feb/22/world-faces-pandemic-humanrights-abuses-covid-19antonio-guterres (Accessed: 7 May 2021).
‘student health parliaments’, inspire community gardening in the remote villages where their families live and help to improve the health of entire regions. Details of these programs are available at www.movement-of-life.org. This successful initiative can serve as a pilot project for the United Nations and should be extended to all nations without delay. I call upon you, Mr. Guterres, as Secretary-General of the United Nations, to support our global campaign to help prevent diseases by spreading knowledge about the health benefits of micronutrients. Such a campaign will ultimately enable all humankind to make a giant step forward towards actually eliminating hunger, malnutrition and many diseases, and, thereby, create a planet that welcomes future generations with dignity.
• Macron, E. et al. (February 2021) Multilateral Cooperation for Global Recovery. Available at: https://www.projectsyndicate.org/commentary/multilateralism-for-the-massesby-emmanuel-macronet-al-2020-02?barrier=accesspaylog (Accessed: 7 May 2021). • Niedzwiecki, A. und Rath, M. (January 2021) Scientific basis of micronutrient applications as an effective, safe and affordable global public health strategy to help to control the coronavirus pandemic. https://voteforreason.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2021/02/REVIEW-PAPER-DR-NIEDZWIECKI_020221_EN.pdf • Movement of Life Project: www.movement-of-life.org
To make sure that this goal is reached in the foreseeable future, I call upon every citizen anywhere in the world to join in a global effort towards a world without disease.
Sincerely yours, Dr. Matthias Rath See the progress of the garden project in our new Movement of Life video: https://www.movement-of-life.org/sowing-seeds-of-change/
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SCIENCE FOCUS
Breakthrough Approach Or Unanticipated Health Risk?
COVID-19 VACCINES By Aleksandra Niedzwiecki, Ph.D. and Matthias Rath, M.D. The coronavirus pandemic has been surrounded by fears of contracting the virus. These were facilitated further by inconsistent and often contradictory information coming from the media, as well as from various scientific and political authorities. The introduction of a new generation of anti-COVID-19 vaccines at the end of 2020 created high hopes and has been driving the demands for vaccination. At the same time, with these new types of vaccines still being at the experimental stage, questions about their efficacy against mutated forms of viruses, and a risk of unanticipated longterm side effects, are fueling reluctancy towards their acceptance. These concerns are not being dispersed by aggressive media campaigns or silencing critical voices of vaccination. Here we present a short overview of COVID-19 vaccines, including their mechanisms of action and safety aspects.*
The road to genetically engineered vaccines Vaccines have successfully been used in preventing various infective diseases for over two centuries. The first successful vaccine was developed against smallpox by Edward Jenner in 1796. Since then, the development of vaccines has been based on the use of attenuated viruses or bacteria, or on specific proteins generated by the pathogens. Injection of these can teach the immune system to recognize these antigens and mount an effective immune response, resulting in protection against a real infection. The development, production, and regulatory approval for this type of vaccine takes a long time (about 10 to 15 years) and is associated with high cost. More recent vaccines introduce the genetic code of pathogens to our cells. Instead of providing the infectious agents from outside like in conventional vaccines, the inserted genetic SCIENCE
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information triggers the production of viral or other pathogen proteins by our own body cells. This technology has been tested in animal models and recently applied in only a few human vaccines (e.g., Ebola, HIV, SARS, MERS, and others) with mixed results.
How anti-COVID-19 genetically engineered vaccines work The vaccines produced by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca/University of Oxford and Janssen (a Johnson & Johnson company) apply genetically altered DNA or RNA to prompt host cells to make proteins specific to a pathogen. They use our cells’ protein synthesis machinery, which takes genetic information in the DNA as a template to transcribe it into messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. These are then translated by the cells’ ribosome system to produce proteins. The code (sequence) for each protein a cell produces is encrypted both in DNA (as a blueprint) and mRNA (as a working copy).
How mRNA-based vaccines work The vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Therapeutics contain an mRNA strand that contains the code for a SARS-CoV-2 virus surface protein (known as a ‘spike’). This spike binds to the specific docking stations on a target cell membrane (the ACE2 receptor) that are necessary to initiate viral entry and infection. Therefore, antibodies directed against the spike protein can prevent the binding of the virus to cells, and consequently its infectivity. The mRNA vaccines contain an mRNA strand with spike protein information. This is encapsulated into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that allow RNA to be transported through the cellular membrane and, at the same time, protect it from degradation by cellular enzymes. When injected, the mRNA in a vaccine enters the cells. Ribosomes subsequently translate it into the viral protein, producing multiple copies which are displayed on the cell surface. The body’s immune system recognizes this viral spike protein as foreign and develops antibodies and other immunity weapons in order to fight it. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use so-called ‘non-replicating mRNA’ which, in addition to the code for the spike protein, have additional sequences at both ends to assure proper RNA pro-
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cessing. According to the manufacturers, once the viral antigen is produced the mRNA is degraded and cleared. There are also other types of RNA vaccines under development, such as so-called self-replicating mRNA. In these vaccines the pathogen-mRNA strand is packaged with additional viral replication machinery that enables the host cells to amplify viral RNA and produce an abundant amount of viral protein. This means that greater quantities of the antigen are made from a smaller amount of vaccine, which, however, can result in further complications.
How DNA-based vaccines work The Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines use a different approach known as a viral vectored vaccine. Viral vectors, such as the modified chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAdOx1) in the AstraZeneca vaccine and human adenovirus (AD26) in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, come from a large family of viruses, some of which cause the common cold. The adenovirus DNA linked to viral genetic code (DNA) for the SARS-CoV2 spike protein is used to insert viral protein information into the cell nucleus. The cells use that code to make viral spike mRNA, and ultimately spike proteins. In the complex process of SARSCoV-2 spike protein presentation by the cells, the viral protein becomes recognized by our body’s immune system as foreign, thus triggering an immune response.
Vaccine approval process Current COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized only for emergency use to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older. (Editor's note: In the EU, the accelerated assessment procedure permits early authorization of COVID-19 vaccines.) The emergency use authorization is allowed when certain criteria are met, which includes that there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives. In addition, the FDA decision is based on the totality of the scientific evidence available showing that the product may be effective to prevent COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks.
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How effective are COVID-19 vaccines in a population? Based on clinical trials, the manufacturers of both RNA- and DNA-based vaccines claim a high efficacy in preventing COVID-19 infections (about 90%) in people 16 years old and older. A recent large observational study conducted in Israel estimates that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is 46% effective at preventing infection 14 to 20 days after the first dose, and 92% effective 7 days after the second dose. The pooled results from trials with the AstraZeneca vaccine claim an overall vaccine efficacy of 66.7% against symptomatic COVID-19 14 days after the second dose. There is no evidence that any of the current COVID-19 vaccines can completely stop or significantly lessen the chances of people from being infected, or that they stop transmission of the virus if vaccinated people become infected.
How effective are COVID-19 vaccines against mutated forms of coronavirus? Since the emergence of the pandemic, the appearance of SARS-
CoV-2 mutants has been a concern. As early as February 2020, a substitution in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was detected and named D614G variant (Korber B et al., 2020). Four months later, this variant – having increased infectivity, although still with a comparable disease severity to its wild‐type strain – had become prominent globally. More recently, another more transmissible strain variant (B.1.1.7.) has surfaced in United Kingdom. The B.1.1.7. variant has 17 mutations, 8 of which are in the spike protein. One of the spike mutations, N501Y, has also been found on another variant of the virus isolated in South Africa (Reardon S, 2020). At the time of writing, the emerging evidence suggests that some of these recent variants can evade both natural- and vaccine-induced immunity when tested in laboratory test tubes. It remains to be fully established whether and to what extent this may lead to reduced vaccine efficacy (Callaway E, 2021). Current COVID-19 vaccines induce the immune system to produce antibodies that recognize and target the spike protein on the virus, which is essential for its binding to ACE2 receptors and invading human cells. With multiple alterations in the spike
Recombination
Artificial DNA enters the human cells (i.e. muscle cell) and produces viral Spike protein
Spike protein is presented on a cell to activate the immune system
with viral genome COVID-19 Spike protein sequence identified
Gene for viral Spike synthesized in a laboratory
Viral Spike gene combined with DNA from the adenovirus
Possible secretion of Spike proteins from the cells
How DNA vaccines work
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protein sequence, vaccines designed for the original strain of the virus may no longer produce a strong immune response against new variant viruses.
about 2.5 cases per one million doses given of the Moderna vaccine, and 4.7 cases per million doses of the Pfizer product.
Detecting new mutations is a logistical challenge as it requires sequencing viruses from infected patients’ samples to detect variants.
Severe reactions, although transient, seem to be more common with COVID-19 shots than with other vaccinations — more than 80% of people who received the Moderna vaccine in clinical trials had some type of systemic reaction to the shot, i.e., side effects affecting different organ systems at the same time. Contaminants are said to be two of the main sources of adverse reactions.
Safety aspects of COVID-19 vaccines Since the public has been exposed to COVID-19 vaccination for only a few months, the long-term side effects are not yet fully known. It is not clearly explained by the manufacturers how long the spike protein production will last after the immunization. The long-term aggravation of the immune system by viral spike protein may increase the risk of an autoimmune response. The clinical trials and public vaccinations conducted so far were only able to unravel health issues that developed within a short time. However, the governments of Denmark, Italy, and Austria have suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports of deadly blood clots in vaccinated patients, in addition to reports of a death and an illness among vaccine recipients. These countries are joined by Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Iceland, and Latvia in suspending vaccines from this manufacturer. (As at April 2021.) • Known short-term side effects Thus far, the most commonly reported side effects of the Pfizer vaccine included tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever. About 20-40% of people receiving this vaccine experienced these side effects after the second dose. According to reports submitted to the FDA, about 31% of people between the ages of 18 and 55 receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine reported fever. With the Moderna vaccine, 17% reported getting a fever after the second dose. Side effects are typically more pronounced among younger people than older people, likely because their immune systems are more robust. The most recent data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that serious side effects, such as anaphylactic allergic reactions, occur at a rate of
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Since COVID-19 vaccines have been approved without extensive long-term safety testing, they cannot exclude any unanticipated risks.
• Potential long-term side effects of GEV vaccines: Known unknowns Potential risks associated with mRNA-based vaccines. mRNA vaccines may elicit immune reactions that can include local and systemic inflammation and autoimmune reactions. Another potential safety issue could derive from the presence of extracellular RNA during mRNA vaccination. Extracellular naked RNA has been shown to increase the permeability of the blood vessel wall and may thus contribute to oedema (Fischer S. et al. 2007). Another study showed that extracellular RNA promoted blood coagulation and pathological thrombus formation (Kannemeier C. et al. 2007). Potential risks of DNA-based vaccines. This technique carries a risk of affecting genes controlling cell growth if the vaccine transporter (vector) is incorporated in a critical part of the host DNA code, which may result in serious consequences. Other major safety concerns in DNA-based vaccines relate to the possibility of inducing antibody production against DNA resulting in autoimmune diseases, developing tolerance to the viral protein (antigen) introduced
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in the DNA, as well as the negative health impact of novel molecular adjuvants. Other risk concerns. Since COVID-19 vaccines have been approved without extensive long-term safety testing, they cannot exclude any unanticipated risks. Examples include the following: The risks of inducing prion-based diseases. Prions are misfolded proteins that cause several fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases. A report originating from the Human Microbiology Institute labs in New York, funded by the pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson, indicates the presence of prion-related sequences in the COVID-19 spike which were not found in other coronaviruses. It is anticipated that these sequences may be present in the spike protein code in mRNA or DNA vaccines.
* This article was first published on the Dr. Rath Health Foundation website in March 2021 and has been shortened and updated for Rath international.
References Callaway E. Fast-spreading COVID variant can elude immune responses. Nature 2021;589:m4944.500–501. Fischer, S. et al. Extracellular RNA mediates endothelial-cell permeability via vascular endothelial growth factor. Blood 2007; 110, 2457– 2465. Kannemeier, C. et al. Extracellular RNA constitutes a natural procoagulant cofactor in blood coagulation. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 2007; 104, 6388–6393.
No publicly available data on how long the viral RNA is translated in a vaccine recipient and how long the spike protein will be present on a host cell. This novel spike protein may become a receptor for other as yet unknown infectious agents. It can also be secreted to the cell’s external environment, with unpredictable consequences. Potential of affecting genetic diversity by placing an identical viral spike protein on the cells of millions of people worldwide. This could lead to reduced resistance to disease.
Korber B, Fischer WM, Gnanakaran S, et al. Tracking changes in SARSCoV-2 spike: evidence that D614G increases infectivity of the COVID-19 Virus. Cell 2020;182(4):812-827. Nestle, F. O. et al. Plasmacytoid predendritic cells initiate psoriasis through interferon-α production. J. Exp. Med. 2005; 202, 135. Pepini, T. et al. Induction of an IFN-mediated antiviral response by a self-amplifying RNA vaccine: implications for vaccine design. J. Immunol. 2017;198, 4012–4024. Reardon S, The U.K. Coronavirus Mutation Is Worrying but Not Terrify-
• Unanticipated side effects of GEV vaccines: unknown unknowns In addition to commonly observed side effects, the risks of allergic reactions and other predictable risks, we cannot exclude the possibility that other serious and unexpected effects may occur years later after hundreds of millions of people of different ages, races, ethnicities, and health conditions have been exposed to COVID-19 vaccines. The identification of these effects and their linkage to the vaccination represent a real logistical challenge. This experimental technology therefore calls for effective post-marketing surveillance.
ing. Scientific American. December 24,2020. Takahashi T., Yale IMPACT Research Team. Ellingson M.K., Wong P., Israelow B., Lucas C., Klein J., Silva J., Mao T., Oh J.E., et al. Sex Differences in Immune Responses That Underlie COVID-19 Disease Outcomes. Nature. 2020:1–9. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2700-3 Theofilopoulos, A. N., Baccala, R., Beutler, B. & Kono, D. H. Type I interferons (α/β) in immunity and autoimmunity. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 2005; 23, 307–336.
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