Without WHO endorsement, World Health Council spreads vaccine misinformation

The website of the World Council for Health, an unofficial organization, has been mentioned on social media to support criticism of vaccination against Covid-19. The posts indicate that this entity would have proven that immunizers are dangerous “experiments” for human beings. On its website, the council accumulates false content to discourage immunization.

One of the publications that use the entity as a source accumulated almost 600 shares on Facebook on March 30. The text stated that the organization had asked that “experimental” vaccines against Covid-19 immediately stop being applied. The danger of immunizers would have been determined by consensus by the “leading experts in the world” in this area.

Vaccines against the new coronavirus, however, are safe and have gone through three stages of clinical trials before being applied worldwide. In addition, countries have monitored possible adverse events and the incidence of serious problems is minimal. The benefits outweigh the risks.

On its website, the World Council for Health presents itself as a global coalition of health organizations and civil society groups that aims to increase knowledge and understanding of public health. The site accumulates more than 1,200 shares on Facebook, made by profiles and pages that reach 5.5 million followers. By its name, it is possible to confuse the entity with the Global Health Council, an organization that is part of the Global Health Workforce Network, a network within the WHO (World Health Organization). According to the WHO, the World Council for Health has no relationship or partnership with the organization.

This advice was created by a group of doctors, all named by name on the site. Among them is Canadian Mark Trozzi, known for taking a stand against immunizations for Covid-19. Last year, Trozzi was barred by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario from issuing medical certificates saying their patients could not get the vaccine. He was also accused of failing to comply with investigations into the episode. Lupa has already verified false content shared by the doctor that said that pregnant women had miscarried after taking the Pfizer vaccine.

False information about the Covid-19 vaccine can also be found on the World Council for Health website. They claim, for example, that immunizers are unsafe and that their manufacture, distribution and promotion “violate basic principles of law.” They also indicate that vaccines were ready very quickly, which would presumably show that they have not had robust clinical trials. This type of statement has already been classified as false by Lupa at various times throughout the pandemic.

Vaccines against Covid-19 were, in fact, developed in record time. But that doesn’t mean they are ineffective and dangerous. All immunizers underwent a rigorous evaluation before being available to the population.

At first, the laboratory carries out tests with animals and, later, clinical trials with human beings, which are divided into three phases. After this step, these companies request a registration from the regulatory body of each country — which in the case of Brazil is the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) — to sell and market the immunizing agent. All safety and efficacy data are reviewed by specialized professionals from that body, who assess whether the registration can be released. In Brazil, Anvisa has already communicated that immunizing agents cannot be classified as “experimental”.

When the new coronavirus emerged, many technologies used in the development of immunizations were already available. This helped the researchers. In addition, one of the major problems that science faces is the lack of resources. In the case of the Covid-19 vaccine, funding came through governments and the third sector. In mid-June 2020, for example, the US government alone invested US$1.95 billion (about R$9.97 billion at the time) to buy doses.

Adverse events

The site lists several adverse events that are supposed to be caused by vaccines. The page indicates that some immunized people have died or are suffering from blood clots, headaches, limb pain, tinnitus, mental confusion, chronic fatigue (post-Covid-19 vaccine syndrome), dementia, heart disease, shingles, rashes. skin and blindness.

However, to date, there are very few reports of deaths caused by the vaccine. In addition, the mentioned symptoms do not appear in the leaflets available at Anvisa. According to the Pfizer package insert, for example, the most common events are pain and swelling at the injection site, tiredness, headache, diarrhea, muscle pain, joint pain, chills and fever. Common events are redness at the injection site, nausea, and vomiting. The complete package insert is available on the agency’s website.

Fertility problems have also been indicated as a possible side effect of the vaccine. As a source, the council points to a text published by the website “Rights and Freedoms” that says a confidential study by Pfizer found that the Spike protein attacks the ovaries, liver, neurological tissues and other organs. The text is based on a study that concludes the exact opposite.

So far, there is no evidence that the vaccine causes infertility. Some studies indicate, however, that Covid-19 can affect male fertility. In 2020, researchers at the University of Miami demonstrated that the new coronavirus can infect testicular tissue in some infected men. The institution has started research to find out the effect of the vaccine, but the tests have not yet been completed. The primary results are expected to be available in June 2022.

Responsibility

The World Council for Health advises that the information provided on the website is for educational purposes only. They disclaim responsibility for published texts and indicate that medical advice cannot be substituted.

“While we have made every effort to ensure that the information on this website has been obtained from reliable sources, the World Council for Health is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information in this website are provided ‘as is’ without warranty of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, as to fitness for any particular purpose,” the website reads.

THE Magnifying glass contacted the World Council for Health, but there was no response.

^{Edited by Maurício Moraes}