Avoid alcohol, immunosuppressants  before, after receiving vaccine: Docs

| | New Delhi
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Avoid alcohol, immunosuppressants  before, after receiving vaccine: Docs

Tuesday, 19 January 2021 | Archana Jyoti | New Delhi

Doctors have warned that people should avoid drinking alcohol or taking immunosuppressant drugs in the days before and after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine to ensure that it works properly.

“People will have to observe extra precautions during the 28 days gap between the two doses for the vaccine to become effective. The beneficiaries should also refrain from visiting crowded places, wear face masks, use sanitizers, minimise contacts and refrain from consuming alcohol or immunosuppressant drugs," said Dr Jugal Kishore Director Professor and Head, Department of Community Medicine, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital in the national Capital.

"It's a strain on the body. If we want to stay healthy and have a strong immune response, don't drink alcohol," he said.

Dr Ramesh Keshav, Head Cardiac Anesthesia Department at the RML Hospital in the national Capital, who took the first shot on the first day of the roll out of the vaccine drive agreed saying that heavy drinking and drug abuse should in other times otherwise also has to be avoided as they compromise with the body immunity.

He cited the Union Health Ministry’s guideline that said that protective levels of antibodies are generally developed two weeks after receiving the second dose of vaccines.

Dr Kishore explained that alcohol consumption, intake of steroids and tobacco may lead to impaired liver function in a person who has been vaccinated and the person’s immune response may be compromised.

“In such a case, the person may not develop adequate immunogenicity and the purpose of vaccination is defeated,” he said.

In fact, existing scientific literature on alcohol and the immune system shows that excess alcohol is an immunosuppressant so people who drink a lot are more susceptible to infections, a view supported by the doctors world over.

“Heavy drinkers have many problems and poor immune function is one of them,” immunologist Eleanor Riley at the University of Edinburgh, UK said.

Heavy alcohol use is also associated with a number of other health problems, including an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, and liver disease.

While alcohol should be avoided, a team of researchers in their study has suggested that health behaviours and depression, stress, or loneliness also have been known to alter the body’s ability to develop an immune response to vaccines including the new Covid-19 vaccines.

The international organisation Association for Psychological Science (APS) said that simple interventions, however, may maximise the vaccine’s initial effectiveness. It quoted the study  which recommends exercising and getting a good night’s sleep in the 24 hours before vaccination. The report has been accepted for publication in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.

Health experts say that while vaccination programmes are being rolled out in various countries, not everyone will gain the full benefit immediately. “Environmental factors, as well as an individual’s genetics and physical and mental health, can weaken the body’s immune system, slowing the response to a vaccine,” as per the APS.

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