Breaking the silence: Recognizing post-vaccination syndrome
Matthew Halma, Joseph Varon
Post-vaccination syndrome has recently gained attention in the scientific community, yet its formal recognition remains elusive. This condition, characterized by long-lasting symptoms similar to long COVID, affects a small percentage of vaccine recipients. Acknowledging post-vaccination syndrome is crucial for ensuring that affected individuals receive proper compensation, care, and research funding. Without recognition, these patients face significant barriers to healthcare and justice, navigating a system unprepared to address their needs. The syndrome presents with symptoms such as dysautonomia, post-exertional malaise, fatigue, neuropathic pain, and cognitive disturbances, overlapping with syndromes like myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, postural orthostatic syndrome, and small fiber neuropathy. The lack of formal recognition and poor development of diagnostics hampers research funding, treatment development, and compensation processes, leaving patients to navigate without support. Addressing post-vaccination syndrome requires developing rigorous diagnostic criteria, increasing research funding, and improving compensation systems to ensure affected individuals receive appropriate care and support.
