Cases of myocarditis have been reported in France in five people vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
After cases of thrombosis occurring following the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, it is the turn of the American-German vaccine to be the subject of special surveillance. THE’National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) announced this Friday, April 30, that five French people were the victim of an inflammation of the heart muscle, myocarditis. “The available data do not, at this stage, provide sufficient elements to conclude on a role for the vaccine but nevertheless constitute a potential pharmacovigilance signal, which must be monitored”, indicates the agency, during its weekly monitoring point for vaccines authorized in France.
Myocarditis, what is it?
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the myocardium, which is inflammation of the muscle tissue of the heart. This inflammatory reaction affects the functioning of the heart muscle. It remains benign in the majority of cases but requires hospitalization to prevent the risk of serious cardiovascular complications. Myocarditis is usually infectious in origin. It is often caused by a viral infection of the respiratory tract or gastrointestinal tract.
In the majority of cases, the symptoms can be similar to those of the flu: fever, headache, general weakness, etc. But in the most severe cases, chest pain, arrhythmia, palpitations or dyspnea may accompany muscle inflammation.
About 60 cases of myocarditis have been reported in Israel
The alert came straight from Israel. According to a report, recounted by The Times of Israel, out of more than five million people vaccinated in the country, there were 62 cases of myocarditis identified in the days following the administration of a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech. Of the cases, 56 occurred after the second injection and the majority of affected individuals were males under the age of 30. However, the document recalls that the 60 patients were treated.
Since the start of vaccination, the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) has recorded more than 16,030 cases of side effects, many of them “expected and not serious”, out of more than 13.6 million injections performed as of April 22. “These adverse effects do not call into question the benefit / risk ratio of the vaccine. They will be the subject of specific monitoring and will be shared at European level “, concludes the ANSM.
