Antibody-Dependent Enhancement and COVID Vaccines

If you have heard the myth that it’s not a good idea to get a COVID vaccine after you have had COVID, then whether you know it or not, you have likely also heard about antibody-dependent enhancement.

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) occurs when antibodies, instead of blocking an infection, make it much worse.

Antibody-Dependent Enhancement

Unlike many other myths that are out there, scaring folks away from getting vaccinated and protected, antibody-dependent enhancement can be real!

“ADE occurs when the antibodies generated during an immune response recognize and bind to a pathogen, but they are unable to prevent infection.”

Antibody-dependent Enhancement (ADE) and Vaccines

But you will likely surprised to learn the immune response that might ultimately trigger antibody-dependent enhancement can either be from a natural infection or a vaccine!

“Dengue fever is an Aedes mosquito-borne illness caused by any one of the four different dengue virus (DENV) serotypes (1–4) and manifests in the form of symptoms ranging from mild or asymptomatic to severe disease with vascular leakage, leading to shock, and viral hemorrhagic syndrome. Increased risk of severe disease occurs during secondary infection with a virus serotype distinct from that of prior dengue infection.”

Intrinsic ADE: The Dark Side of Antibody Dependent Enhancement During Dengue Infection

You may have heard that the dengue vaccine caused antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) in some children, but did you know that ADE is also seen after natural dengue infections?

Antibody-Dependent Enhancement and COVID Vaccines

Fortunately, ADE doesn’t happen with COVID or COVID vaccines.

And like many other myths that are out there, scaring folks away from getting vaccinated and protected, the one about COVID vaccines and antibody-dependent enhancement has been thoroughly debunked and fact checked.

“Antibody dependant enhancement is a rare but genuine risk when it comes to creating new vaccines. There is good evidence that this does not occur with the current Covid-19 vaccines in use, from animal studies, large human trials, and real world data from people who have received the vaccine.”

There’s no evidence Covid-19 vaccines make the disease worse

So get your COVID vaccine, even if you have had COVID.

More on Antibody-Dependent Enhancement

• Why You Should Get Vaccinated Even Though You Had COVID
• What Are the COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects?
• About Those Urgent COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Warnings
• What is Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE)?
• Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 Vaccines: Should You Be Worried?
• Antibody-Dependent Enhancement and the Coronavirus Vaccines
• Antibody-dependent Enhancement (ADE) and Vaccines
• There’s no evidence Covid-19 vaccines make the disease worse
• A problem with dengue virus vaccine
• Antibodies aid dengue and Zika virus infection
• No evidence: COVID-19 vaccines will cause more severe disease through antibody-dependent enhancement
• Having a Covid-19 vaccine doesn’t make you more vulnerable to the disease
• Post makes false claim about COVID-19 vaccine risk
• No evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause more severe disease; antibody-dependent enhancement has not been observed in clinical trials
• Texas Doctor Spreads False Claims About COVID-19 Vaccines
• Intrinsic ADE: The Dark Side of Antibody Dependent Enhancement During Dengue Infection