Justin Bieber’s facial paralysis: What is Ramsay Hunt syndrome and is it linked to COVID vaccines?

euronews.com:

A rare disorder called Ramsay Hunt syndrome has made headlines after pop singer Justin Bieber announced he had the condition and was forced to cancel his upcoming shows.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles, and can lead to facial paralysis.

The 28-year-old Canadian superstar said in an Instagram video on Friday that the condition had left him unable to move part of his face. He demonstrated how he was unable to blink one of his eyes and could not smile on one side of his face.

"Obviously as you can probably see from my face, I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and it is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis," he said.

"As you can see, this eye is not blinking, I can't smile on this side of my face, this nostril will not move, so there's full paralysis in this side of my face".

Following the revelation, some social media users tried to link the condition with the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

Here is what we know about Ramsay Hunt syndrome, what causes it, what its symptoms are, and how it can be treated.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is caused by the same virus (varicella-zoster) that causes chickenpox and shingles.

After chickenpox clears up, the virus still lives in a person’s nerves, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can reactivate in later years to cause shingles, which is a painful rash with fluid-filled blisters.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a shingles outbreak that affects the facial nerve near the ear, says the clinic. This can cause one-sided facial paralysis and hearing loss.

Une publication partagée par Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

There are two main signs of Ramsay Hunt syndrome, according to