Covid-19 vaccine does not cause cancer and is not related to herpes zoster

Contrary to what a doctor claims in a video posted on Instagram, it is false that vaccines against Covid-19 cause cancer and other respiratory diseases. According to experts heard by the report, there is also no scientific evidence linking cases of herpes zoster to immunizers.

Anvisa confirmed that, so far, there is no evidence about the relationship between herpes zoster and the use of vaccines against Covid. The agency, as verified by Projeto Comprova, has not received reports of adverse events related to these diseases.

According to Anvisa, all analyzed and authorized vaccines are safe and have efficacy profiles defined by studies, and continue to be monitored. Also according to the agency, so far, vaccine monitoring does not indicate changes in the safety profile of the doses applied in the Brazilian population, regardless of whether they are doses of the primary or booster schedule.

For Comprova, false is content invented or edited to change its original meaning and deliberately disclosed to spread a falsehood.

Scope of publication

As of July 8, the publication had 63,718 views and 1,071 comments on Instagram.

what does the author say

Through a message on Instagram, the report contacted the doctor Leandro Almeida, author of the publication, but did not get an answer to the questions made.

How do we check

Searches were made for data and information in official sources, such as the Butantan Institute, the Ministry of Health and the WHO (World Health Organization).

To clarify questions about vaccines against Covid, we contacted SBIm (Brazilian Society of Immunizations) and Anamélia Lorenzetti Bocca, a specialist in cellular immunology at the University of Brasília. We also contacted Anvisa.

Safety

To the report, Anvisa said that all analyzed and authorized vaccines are safe and have efficacy profiles defined by studies and that continue to be monitored. According to the WHO, once a promising vaccine has been identified, it will first undergo laboratory tests and, later, the manufacturer may request clinical trials. These trials usually involve several thousand healthy volunteer participants. Test safety is guaranteed by national regulatory authorities.

In addition, studies continue to take place after a vaccine is placed on the market. The so-called pharmacovigilance phase allows scientists to monitor efficacy and safety among even greater numbers of people, over a longer period of time.

Brazilian vaccines approved by Anvisa have the possible adverse effects described in the package inserts. The reports are updated through scientific records and published on the agency’s own website.

In the documents, it is possible to have access to important data that guarantee the safety of vaccines, such as the results of the effectiveness of the product in different groups and description of possible adverse events. None of the immunizers used in the country have cancer, shingles or other respiratory disease cited as possible adverse effects of coronavirus vaccination.

Renato Kfouri, director of SBIm, says: “The second, third and fourth dose vaccines have the same safety profiles. Serious adverse events are very rare. The number of cases avoided, in the case of Covid, far exceeds the side effects “.

fourth dose

Since December 2021, the Ministry of Health has recommended the application of the fourth dose of the Covid vaccine to the immunosuppressed group. In June this year, the guidance was extended to people over 50 years and health professionals, with a minimum interval of four months from the first booster. The indication, according to the agency’s documents, considers clinical data that point to the efficacy and safety of the second booster dose of the immunizer.

According to the ministry, preliminary findings from recent studies carried out in Israel indicated that, after vaccination with the fourth dose, there was a five-fold increase in antibodies after one week of application. Another fact that based the ministry’s recommendation was the approval of health agencies in the United States, including the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), for individuals aged 50 years or older to receive the second booster dose.

The Ministry of Health stated that, at the time of the orientation, there were few data regarding “the magnitude and duration of the benefit of a fourth booster dose” and that “there are no data available at the moment that allow evaluating the occurrence of rare adverse events for the second booster dose”. However, the agency “recognises that different vaccination strategies by countries should be used based on the epidemiological situation and the availability of vaccines.” In addition, the body mentioned the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus as another reason for the recommendation.

shingles

Contrary to what the author of the post attributes, the experts heard by the report stated that there is no proven relationship between herpes zoster and the vaccine against Covid-19. Anvisa reported that there was no scientific evidence to show this and no notifications about a possible occurrence were received either.

Anamélia Lorenzetti Bocca, coordinator of the Laboratory of Cellular Immunology at the Institute of Biology at UnB, says that it is normal to have analyzes about a possible correlation between a vaccine and the occurrence of different diseases because the number of people vaccinated and the different states of the immune response are very wide.

These are usually investigations of a specific case of a person or observational analyses, which do not guarantee a cause and effect relationship. Among these analyzes are works on herpes zoster, but so far, there is no conclusion linking the disease with the Covid-19 vaccine. “It is not possible to have a consensus on case report results. The number of people to establish a significant correlation must be very large”, says Bocca.

According to Renato Kfouri, in fact, there are stronger indications for a relationship between herpes zoster and Covid, than with the vaccine against the disease. A survey carried out by professionals from the State University of Montes Claros, in Minas Gerais, showed a 35% growth of this type of herpes during the pandemic. The document does not differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated, but scientists believe the increase is a strong indication of a correlation between herpes and coronavirus infection. Other international studies also point to an increased risk of herpes zoster in people who have had contact with the coronavirus, and not with the immunizer that protects against the disease.

Cancer

Anvisa reported that there is no evidence in pre-clinical studies (made with animals) and clinical studies (made with people) that vaccines against Covid-19 are capable of inducing genetic mutations or cancer development. Fiocruz information also rules out the possible relationship. Comprova has previously shown that the vaccine is not related to cancer or HIV.

The experts heard by Comprova said that there is no relationship between vaccination against Covid and other respiratory diseases. “To date, there is no relationship between the application of Covid vaccines, which are circulating, with these diseases. In fact, sometimes the opposite occurs, because vaccines stimulate the immune system while these diseases occur with depression of the patient’s immune response “, said Bocca.

Tests

The author of the publication also suggests that tests against Covid could be related to the development of other diseases, especially respiratory ones. According to Renato Kfouri, the various tests against Covid are collected through nasal swabs, a kind of long cotton swab, which have contact with the nasopharynx region, where respiratory viruses normally lodge.

The immunologist says that it is an innocuous procedure, without any risk of contamination from other diseases: “They are sterile swabs and do not bring any harm to health”.

Who is the author of the post

Leandro Guilherme Ladeia Almeida holds a degree in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine of Barbacena. On his personal website, he states that he is specialized in Endocrinology by the Institute of Research and Medical Education and has a postgraduate degree in Orthomolecular Medicine, Biochemistry and Exercise Physiology. He also claims to be an expert in metabolism, nutrigenetics, fertility, human performance, biochemistry and physiology.

On the CFM (Federal Council of Medicine) portal, he appears as a doctor without a registered specialty. He has regular status and registration in Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. No other checks or news about the doctor were found.

Why do we investigate?

Comprova investigates suspicious content about the pandemic, presidential elections and public policies of the federal government that went viral on social media.

The post here verified lies in saying that there is no safety in vaccines against Covid-19 and that immunizers cause serious diseases. Content like this deliberately propagates falsehoods and jeopardizes the country’s health security.

Comprova has already shown that vaccines do not cause cancer, unlike what a US doctor claims and that immunizing is safe and does not generate HIV, cancer or HPV.

Comprova carried out this verification based on information available on the 8th of July 2022.