Scientists discover disturbing 'unexpected' side effect of new mRNA jab

Patients given experimental mRNA jabs for HIV have developed an 'unexpected' side-effect needing further investigation, experts say.

About 7 per cent of volunteers given the jabs in the trial broke out in an itchy bumpy rash called hives.

While this rash disappeared for some sufferers, over half were still experiencing bouts a year after injection.

Some were still breaking out in hives almost three years after receiving the jab.

Experts analysing the data noted volunteers who suffered the hive reaction were more likely to have received the Moderna mRNA Covid vaccine in the past.

However, they added this finding didn't necessarily mean the two are linked and how and why the new jabs were provoking this reaction remained unclear.

The reaction was seen across a trio of potential HIV jabs manufactured by Moderna with the same mRNA technology famously used in Covid vaccines.

These jabs were tested on a group of 108 HIV-negative volunteers to measure their overall safety.

Volunteers were split into three groups, each receiving one of the three different vaccine formulas.

These groups were then split further into a high-dose or low-dose cohort for a total of six different cohorts.

After the initial injection repeat doses were administered at 12 weeks and then again at 24 weeks.

In their report experts from the University of Pittsburgh found the jabs to be 'generally safe and tolerable'.

However, they noted the hive reaction in seven participants — seen across all three vaccine formulas— was an 'unexpected' result.

Writing in the Annals of Internal Medicine, they said what was causing the hives in some people was unclear.

But they theorised it could be due to a combination of vaccine components, the dosage, and an unknown environmental factor.

The scientists said while mRNA vaccine technology continued to hold great promise, further research was needed into what was causing this hive reaction.

Independent experts, writing in a linked editorial, agreed.

They said that while hives is, overall, a minor ailment it can still contribute to vaccine hesitancy and hinder vaccine uptake.

The experts said more work was needed to understand the mechanisms behind the reaction 'to ultimately promote the safety and uptake of vaccines'.

There is currently no cure for HIV, which affects approximately 100,000 Britons and 1.2million Americans. Although there are prevention drugs, they need to be taken daily.

A vaccine that offers lifetime protection from the virus would be a breakthrough for the disease that has claimed millions of lives.

But despite 40 years of research since HIV was first identified, a vaccine has been elusive, with half-a-dozen real-world trials repeatedly failing to deliver on initial results.

HIV is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.

AIDS is the name used to describe the potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by HIV.

While AIDS cannot be transmitted from one person to another, the HIV virus can.

There's currently no cure for HIV, but there are extremely effective treatments.

With an early diagnosis most people with HIV will not develop any AIDS-related illnesses and will live a near-normal lifespan.

Currently health officials focus on measures like encouraging safe sex and providing patients medications that stop HIV from spreading.

HIV is estimated to have claimed over 40million lives since it first emerged.

While new HIV diagnoses in the UK had been trending down for years, there has been a recent surge of new cases.

In 2023, there were just over 6,400 HIV diagnoses in the UK, a 46 per cent increase compared to the year before.

Health officials have said the wave of new cases could be a sign of ongoing transmission or a reflection of migration bringing more people with HIV into the country.