There Is No Evidence That COVID-19 Vaccines Cause Aphasia
The Claim
COVID-19 vaccines cause Aphasia.
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Emerging story
Posts about Aphasia, a language disorder, have been circulated online. Users are claiming that this condition is caused by the COVID-19 vaccines.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause Aphasia, which affects communication skills causing speaking and reading difficulties. This condition is mostly caused by a brain injury.
Hollywood Star Bruce Willis Diagnosed With Aphasia
Social media users posted an online blog attached to their posts. The blog is entitled: “Aphasia can be caused by the COVID-19 vaccine,” and shows a subtitle reading: “How do we know Bruce Willis' aphasia wasn't caused by the vaccine? Nobody is talking about it.”
According to the American National Aphasia Association, this neurological condition affects a person’s ability of speech production or comprehension and the ability to read and/or write. Aphasia is “always due to injury to the brain-most commonly from a stroke, particularly in older individuals.” The condition may also arise from head trauma, brain tumors, or infections. It affects an estimated 2 million people in the U.S. Reports confirmed that nearly 180,000 acquire Aphasia every year.
Does the COVID-19 Vaccine Cause Aphasia?
Other social media users have shared a case study suggesting a link between Aphasia and the COVID-19 vaccine. The study documented the case of a 52-year-old male seven days after the second dose of an mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
The report mentioned that the “52yo male developed sudden-onset reading difficulty and aphasia 7d after the second dose of an mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.”
Description: The study does not prove that there is a link between Aphasia and vaccination.
The study did not confirm COVID-19 vaccines caused Aphasia. The report reads: “Whether there was a causal relation between the ICB and the vaccination remains speculative but cannot be definitively excluded.”
According to the conclusion, the pathophysiology of ICB was “unexplained,” but a causal relation between ICB and the vaccination cannot be excluded. It means that this condition can be multicausal. To be sure, the study did not prove that COVID-19 vaccines caused Aphasia.
Description: The pathophysiology of ICB remains unexplained.
