Professor at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital: "MMR Vaccination is the Key to COVID-19"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Professor Guk Hoon, a pediatrician at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, recently attracted attention by claiming that the ‘MMR vaccine,’ used to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella, may have a suppressive effect on COVID-19.

Professor Guk suggested that since it will take until the second half of this year to achieve herd immunity expected when more than 60% of the entire population completes COVID-19 vaccination, a clever strategy is needed to first try the safe and potentially effective ‘MMR vaccine’.

The MMR vaccine is administered twice to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella: once between 9 and 15 months of age, and again between 4 and 6 years old.

It has been safely used for over 40 years, with simple administration and mild side effects.

Professor Guk supported the validity of this hypothesis with various cases worldwide.

At the University of Cambridge in the UK, it was announced that the amino acid sequence of the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus is similar to that of the measles, mumps, and rubella viruses, with the closest similarity to rubella, suggesting the possibility of cross-antibody reactions between the two viruses.

The Mayo Clinic, considered one of the world’s top general hospitals in the United States, also released a report stating that “people who received the MMR vaccine showed lower rates of COVID-19 infection.”

In the case of the COVID-19 infection trend on the US aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in March last year, 27% of the approximately 5,000 crew members tested positive, but only 1.7% required hospitalization for severe illness, and there was only one death.

This was significantly lower than the 21% hospitalization rate and death rate among Americans of the same age group, and investigations revealed that all crew members had received the MMR vaccine before enlistment.

There are also research reports indicating that live vaccine administration enhances non-specific natural immunity and performs antiviral functions.

Additionally, a recent report showed that among patients infected with COVID-19, those who had received the MMR vaccine and had high mumps IgG antibody titers were asymptomatic, whereas those with low antibody titers required hospitalization and intensive care.

A Phase 3 international clinical trial, supported by the Bill Gates Foundation, is currently underway to examine the correlation between COVID-19 onset and MMR vaccination among 30,000 healthcare workers repeatedly exposed to COVID-19, with results eagerly anticipated.

Professor Guk pointed out, “Domestic COVID-19 vaccination may begin as early as next month, and herd immunity is expected around the end of this year. However, there are numerous challenges to overcome, including vaccine safety, antibody production rates, and concerns about variant viruses.”

He continued, “There is concern about the collapse of the healthcare system due to an increase in severe COVID-19 patients. Since the expected effects of vaccines and treatments will take a long time, it is time to discuss trying the safe and potentially effective MMR vaccine not only for high-risk groups but also for healthy adults with lower vaccination priority.”

Professor Guk concurrently serves as chairman of the Korean Society for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and the Korean Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.