Covid-19 vaccine is safe and does not cause HIV, cancer or HPV

The content circulating on the Telegram, in audio format, in which there are statements about vaccines against Covid-19 being able to generate autoimmune diseases and cancer in those immunized is false. The content is attributed to the physician Nelson Modesto, a specialist in clinical medicine, who works with activated immunotherapy and immuno-oncology.

The audio, verified by Projeto Comprova, was shared in the Médicos Pela Vida group and generated panic among members, in addition to reinforcing the false idea that vaccines are not safe and effective. It is possible to reach this conclusion from comments left in the publication, such as that of a man claiming that the “China virus came from there, all for money”.

In addition to xenophobic comments, other deniers also appear, such as that of a woman who claims that the coronavirus does not exist. She uses as a justification that “no scientist found the isolated virus”, which is a lie.

The report contacted the professional to check if the audio was, in fact, his authorship. The doctor confirmed and gave more details of the research elaborated that was mentioned in the audio.

According to the doctor, all vaccines applied in Brazil were made with the Chinese input that causes cancer and autoimmune diseases, in addition to contaminating those vaccinated with a stronger variant of the coronavirus. Modesto made the claims without presenting any kind of proof that could confirm his thesis.

Still without proof, the doctor says that the Chinese ingredient contains Nagalase —an enzyme called vitamin D-binding protein—, graphene oxide and graphene nanoparticles, substances that, according to him also wrongly, cause the aforementioned diseases. These components are not included in the list of substances present in the immunizing agents developed by Pfizer, Coronavac and Astrazeneca.

“I did the study that proves that people vaccinated against Covid-19 are actually getting infected with a new strain of the virus, as well as can develop cancer and autoimmune diseases, my study was designed around Bdort, the Chinese input contains substances that cause all these problems that I’ve discovered,” Modesto said. Asked about how the supposed study was developed and its veracity, the doctor informed that the research is not yet complete.

“I still don’t have this study written for publication, I’m surveying the participants, I’ve already evaluated and treated about 75 people who were contaminated with the vaccine. In order to have a good result, I want to reach 100 participants in my study. The research is in progress. Powerpoint. I’m not going to publish my work in Brazil, I’m going to publish the research in Canada,” said Modesto.

Experts interviewed by the article report that the doctor’s claims are wrong and unfounded, as published research shows different results.

In view of the information obtained, the verification by Comprova defined the content as false, as it was invented.

How do we check?

Comprova sought information on the list of vaccines and the development of diseases in journalistic articles and on the official website of the WHO (World Health Organization) and the Brazilian Ministry of Health.

We interviewed, through WhatsApp, the infectious disease physician and professor at the Catholic University of Brasília César Carranza Tamayo.

We also spoke via WhatsApp with Gilmar Alves Zonzin, former president of the Society of Pulmonology and Tisiology of the State of Rio, as well as Ethel Maciel, a professor at the Federal University of Espírito Santo, who has a postdoctoral degree in epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University, in the States United.

The report got in touch with Nelson Modesto, cited as the author of the audio verified here, who confirmed the authenticity of the recording. We also got in touch with the higher education institution where he teaches, in the interior of São Paulo, and we are waiting for their feedback.

Verification

do not cause disease

Experts heard by the report say that the vaccines developed to fight the coronavirus are not responsible for the development of autoimmune diseases or cancer, as the audio verified here falsely states. The same is said by health authorities in Brazil —such as Anvisa— and the world —such as the FDA, CDC and WHO.

Expert Gilmar Alves Zonzin called “bizarre” and “absurd” Nelson Modesto’s claims linking cytomegalovirus, HIV and HPV to immunizers against Covid-19.

“I’m already telling you that these are bizarre, absurd information, without any foundation. Furthermore, vaccines, as well as medicines, and various supplies, are not absent in undesirable effects, which must be identified, reported, monitored, studied, etc., but not these oddities,” he concluded.

The infectious disease physician César Carranza Tamayo said that the vaccines are safe and that most of the adverse effects are mild, such as fever and pain at the application site. According to the expert, vaccines are not the cause of autoimmune diseases or cancer.

“What happens, and this is a widely known effect, is that people with this type of disease, but who have not yet developed symptoms, may start to present them after a viral infection or some vaccines with a viral vector”, explains the infectologist .

Afterwards, Tamayo added, stating that a person who has an autoimmune disease that has not yet fully manifested may have a virus, such as mononucleosis —kissing disease—, and later start the symptoms of the disease. “This does not mean that the virus caused the disease, but that it served as a trigger for this person to start showing symptoms of the autoimmune disease”, he describes.

“Vaccines in general are extensively tested in the laboratory before being released for distribution and commercialization. The manufacturing measures are extremely strict to guarantee the sterility of the vaccine. In other words, a vaccine cannot have absolutely any contaminant that can cause disease. Even because, if that happened, there would be a chance that a vaccine would lose its effectiveness”.

The same statement about the safety of immunizers against Covid-19 was made by Ethel Maciel.

“On the safety of Covid-19 vaccines: They are safe and effective. Post-vaccination serious events are rare. The most common rare event is thrombosis, but Covid-19 causes much more of this disease (thrombosis) than the vaccine “.

The scientist recommended reading the article available on the Fiocruz website (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation) about the risk of thrombosis.

In addition, the epidemiologist said that another rare event, post-vaccine, is myocarditis, but that cases are also registered more in people who developed Covid-19 than in those who were vaccinated. Maciel contested Nelson Modesto’s audio, claiming that the immunizing agent does not cause “any other disease”.

“The Covid-19 vaccine does not cause HIV, HPV or any other disease. The vaccine helps the immune system to build the immune response against Covid, that’s the action, it doesn’t cause disease,” he said.

Another study suggested by the expert was released by the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) of the United States. The article relates Covid-19 and myocarditis, using as a basis data collected in North American hospitals between March 2020 and January 2021.

who is the doctor

Nelson Modesto, cited as the author of the audio verified here, claims to be a doctor since 1967, graduated from Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo), with a specialization in clinical medicine from the Brazilian Society of Clinical Medicine and a doctorate in Medicine from Unicamp (State University of Campinas ).

The information was obtained by the report through a search on the Lattes Platform, of the CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), which aggregates virtual curricula with a focus on academic trajectory. All information was filled in by the physician on these platforms.

The same information present in Lattes appears on the doctor’s Facebook profile. Modesto has no research published in relevant journals within its area of ​​expertise.

Modesto declares on digital platforms that he still works as a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas and as a Doctor at the Hospital da Real Sociedade Beneficência in Campinas. The specialist focuses his activities on the niche of leptomones — a type of parasite. However, according to the institution’s website, he is not listed as a professor.

Confronted with the information from the Comprova report, Modesto claimed that he has not been a professor at PUC Campinas for years, but he did not clarify why he still holds the title on social networks and in the academic curriculum as if they were referring to his current status.

Another check was made by Boatos.org denying the statements contained in the audio. The Comprova also denied other claims contained in Modesto’s statement, such as the verification that confirmed that messenger RNA vaccines do not generate autoimmune diseases and are not responsible for the development of cancer.

Congress cited by the doctor

Through an internet search, the report located the congress mentioned in the audio circulating on the messaging platforms. This is the 1st Brazilian Journey About Bdort and Integrative Care, which took place virtually in July this year.

In conversation with the report, the doctor confirmed that he was a speaker at the event and also said that he had presented his research, however, Nelson Modesto is not included in the list of speakers that integrate the event’s official website. The presentations of the journey were broadcast via YouTube, where the videos are still included and Modesto does not appear in the recordings.

The acronym Bdort stands for Bi Digital O-Ring Test (Bi-Digital Ring Test, in Portuguese). The technique consists of a “non-invasive clinical investigation, developed by the Japanese-American engineer Yoshiaki Omura”, according to information released by the organization that represents the category in the country, located in São Paulo.

The technique, considered as a bridge between Eastern and Western methods, uses as a test the musculature of the fingers, in the shape of a ring. The test, according to the website of Ambbdort (Brazilian Medical Association of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test), is based on the research of muscle strength in a standard muscle group.

On the website, the association explains that the method has been used for “experimental diagnosis and treatment”.

“This method should not, under any circumstances, replace current conventional diagnostic and treatment methods based on research protocols,” says Ambbdort.

Given the lack of evidence that could prove the presence of Nelson Modesto at the event, Comprova sent an email requesting confirmation from Ambbdort about the list of speakers and participants.

The objective is to check if Modesto was part of a debate table or if, in fact, the article cited in the audio was submitted. Until the moment of publication of this matter, the report had not received feedback from the association.

Why do we investigate?

In its fourth phase, Comprova checks suspicious content that has gone viral about the pandemic, the federal government’s public policies and the elections. The publication on the Telegram’s Médicos por Vida channel had more than 21 thousand views.

Information about the pandemic, especially the vaccines, is important to be verified because it can affect the population’s confidence in immunizers — which have scientific proof and are defended by health authorities to fight the disease.

Recently, the Comprova proved false that people immunized with Pfizer’s vaccine become traceable and that the CDC did not say that natural immunity is superior to that of vaccines, as a businessman indicted by the CPI suggests.

False, for Comprova, is content invented or edited to change its original meaning and deliberately disclosed to spread a lie.

Comprova performed this verification based on information available on the 11th November 2021.