Naturally the talk of two potential vaccines for Covid has been met with much enthusiasm across the world. But will it be MS-compatible?
The MS Trust is being asked questions about what it means. Trying to make sense of it they spoke to Professor Alasdair Coles, a consultant neurologist based at Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge.
It is definitely worth reading the whole article. It is not that long and Professor Coles and the MS Trust have done a really great job of writing in detail without getting too technical.
You can find the article here: https://www.mstrust.org.uk/news/covid-19-vaccines-what-they-mean-people-ms?
If you don’t want to read the whole article here are two highlights:
‘Would a Covid-19 vaccine be safe for all people with MS? Are there any risks?
Having MS by itself does not mean that you shouldn’t take the vaccine. There’s no concern that a vaccine will cause MS, trigger a relapse or make your symptoms worse. I would really encourage everyone with MS to look forward to taking this vaccine, unless they’re told that they shouldn’t have it because of the drugs they’re on. There are some disease-modifying drugs (DMD) that are used to treat MS which would make some vaccines either unsafe or ineffective.’
‘Any final thoughts?
There’ll be two clear effects of finding a successful vaccine for people with MS. One is that the more people who take this vaccine, the more it will reduce the number of people who can be infected by Covid-19. Therefore the overall infection rate will decrease, reducing the chance of someone with MS being exposed to someone who has Covid-19. Secondly, people with MS will be offered the vaccine at some point in the future and, if it’s effective for these people, then they will have direct immunity against Covid-19.’
Make yourself a cup of tea and have a read here:
https://www.mstrust.org.uk/news/covid-19-vaccines-what-they-mean-people-ms