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WHO database does not link mpox to COVID-19 vaccine

Posted on by L. Dreeye
WHO database does not link mpox to COVID-19 vaccine

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Claim: WHO has recognized that mpox is a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines.

An October 12 Facebook post (direct link, archived link) shows a screenshot of a headline linking MPOX, a disease formerly known as monkeypox, to COVID-19 vaccines.

“WHO admits monkeypox is ‘side effect’ of Covid vaccine,” reads the headline. The post includes an image of World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The post was shared more than 700 times in less than three weeks.

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Our rating: False

The WHO has made no such recognition. Covid-19 vaccines cannot cause mpox and the claim came from a website that has a history of spreading misinformation.

There is no evidence in the database that the injections caused the disease

The WHO declared mpox a public health emergency in August and continues to monitor the outbreak, which has spanned several countries. But the WHO has not linked the disease to COVID-19 vaccines.

There is no announcement on the WHO website about the connection between the mpox and COVID-19 vaccines. There is also no reliable news that the organization has made such a confession.

The Facebook post’s caption claims that the confession is “hidden on the WHO VigiAccess website,” but this is false.

VigiAccess is a publicly available tool for searching the WHO VigiBase database, which records reports made by individuals to national health authorities. The database includes reports of people who became infected with Ompox at some point after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

However, the database makes clear that the events reported are not necessarily related to any treatment or vaccinations received. “Information in VigiAccess regarding potential side effects should not be interpreted to mean that the drug or its active ingredient either caused the observed effect or is unsafe for use,” the site states. “Confirming cause and effect is a complex process that requires careful scientific judgment and a detailed assessment of all available data. Therefore, the information on this website does not reflect any proven relationship between the drug and the side effect.”

Fact checking: No, the Supreme Court has not ruled that COVID-19 vaccines cause “irreparable” harm

As USA TODAY previously reported, COVID-19 vaccines cannot cause mpox.

Dr. Christopher Sanford, a travel and tropical medicine expert at the University of Washington, previously told USA TODAY that there is no mpox DNA in the COVID-19 vaccines whose ingredients are publicly reported. He also said the spread of MPOX does not correlate with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.

The headline in the post comes from Slay News, which previously published misinformation that USA TODAY debunked. The site falsely claimed that 20% of New Zealanders who received the COVID-19 vaccine died, that the World Economic Forum called for AI to be used to rewrite the Bible, and that former Secretary of State John Kerry called on farmers to stop growing food.

USA TODAY reached out to Slay News and the social media user who shared the complaint for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

Reuters also denied this claim.

Our Fact Checking Sources:

  • WHO, accessed 30 October, About VigiAccess
  • WHO, accessed October 30, VigiAccess FAQs
  • USA TODAY, August 23, Claim of link between MPOX and COVID-19 vaccines is nonsense | Fact checking
  • Dr. Christopher Sanford, August 21, telephone interview with USA TODAY.
  • CDC, updated April 18, About mpox
  • FDA Revised August 22 Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers About the Pfizer-biontech COVID-19 Vaccine.

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