WHO did not admit that babies of vaccinated mothers are being born with heart problems – 07/19/2023 – Health

It is false that the WHO (World Health Organization) has admitted that “fully vaccinated” mothers are having children with “serious heart defects”, contrary to what claims a website shared on Telegram.

There is no evidence linking immunizers to heart problems in newborns, as verified by the Comprova Project. The link with the source of the “information” placed at the beginning of the text leads to another website with text, in English, entitled “WHO warns of unusual increase in cases of severe myocarditis among newborns and infants in the United Kingdom”. This data, yes, is correct and can be checked on the WHO page. The document makes no mention of vaccines.

About them, the uninformative text verified here initially does not mention which vaccines the WHO would be referring to, but, after the fourth paragraph, it talks about the relationship between myocarditis and immunizers against Covid-19.

In fact, myocarditis is an adverse event that can occur as a result of this immunization, as Comprova has already shown, and although the topic is widely explored by anti-vaccine groups —such as the website verified here—, the chance of inflammation in the heart muscle occurring is much lower than that of a person becoming infected with Covid-19. That is why, in addition to the WHO, health agencies from all over the world, such as the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), from Brazil, the UKHSA (United Kingdom Health Security Agency), from the United Kingdom, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), from the United States, recommend that pregnant women be vaccinated against the new coronavirus.

Contacted by the report, PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), which acts as the regional office of the WHO, reinforced that it is false content and that vaccination “is only good, both for mothers and for their babies and the whole family”.

False, for Comprova, is content that was invented or that has been edited to change its original meaning and deliberately disseminated to spread a falsehood.

Reach

Comprova investigates suspicious content with greater reach on social networks. As of July 19, the content had 7,700 views on Telegram.

How do we check

The team did Google searches with the keywords “WHO”, “vaccine”, “babies” and “myocardium”. No studies or research published by the WHO were found that cited any relationship between vaccines and effects on infants.

It also researched UK government publications on the subject. Notices were found from the English government on monitoring reactions to myocarditis and pericarditis after vaccination against Covid-19.

Comprova contacted PAHO’s press office to question the veracity of the published content and the website that published the misinformation.

Myocarditis, pregnant women and vaccines

To Comprova, PAHO stated that, in fact, the WHO was notified by the UK government about the increase in cases of severe myocarditis in newborns, but without any relation to vaccines or pregnant women. Cases are associated with enterovirus infection in Wales between June 2022 and April 2023.

The body, which acts as the WHO regional office, also said that both PAHO and WHO recommend “that pregnant women are vaccinated with all necessary and recommended doses – both those against Covid-19 and influenza and those routinely included in the national vaccination schedule – to protect themselves from potentially deadly diseases”.

According to the IOC (Oswaldo Cruz Institute), enteroviruses are among the viral agents most frequently related to disease in humans. More than 70 types of viruses are part of this group, which are transmitted through the fecal-oral route, that is, when a person ingests food or water with feces contaminated by the virus. Another form of contamination is the sharing of infected objects.

Some symptoms caused by the enterovirus are headache, fever, vomiting, sore throat, skin sores and ulcers inside the mouth. The diagnosis is confirmed by laboratory tests, but there is no specific treatment, but the use of drugs that alleviate the symptoms.

What the person responsible for the publication says

Asked about the source of the text, the website of Jornal Verdade Censurada, which published the disinformation, sent a link to a conservative portal in the United States and, later, other links – none of which proves what was published by them. In addition, the website did not respond whether it would have the WHO document cited in the publication.

What can we learn from this check

The verified post mixes facts with fabrications, following a recurring tactic among misinformers. So, before believing the rumor without even getting information about it on the websites of professional communication vehicles, we should think about whether the dubious content makes sense. We only need to ask a few questions to realize that there is something wrong with the publication. If the WHO had admitted that babies are being born with problems because of their vaccinated mothers, wouldn’t that be news in every vehicle? Would health agencies around the world continue to encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated if children were being born with a disease? So, when you see very alarmist content, like the one seen here, be suspicious.

why do we investigate

Comprova monitors suspicious content posted on social networks and messaging apps about public policies and elections at the federal level and opens investigations for those publications that have achieved greater reach and engagement. You can also suggest checks via WhatsApp +55 11 97045-4984. Suggestions and questions related to questionable content can also be sent to Sheet via WhatsApp 11 99486-0293.

Other checks on the topic

Vaccines, especially those against Covid-19, are frequent topics of Comprova checks. Only this year, the project published, for example, being false that they were banned and misleading deputy post that questions their effectiveness.

The investigation of this content was carried out by Folha and Jornal do Commercio and published on July 19 by Projeto Comprova, a coalition that brings together 41 vehicles to check viral content. It was verified by UOL, A Gazeta, Plural, Correio Braziliense, Grupo Sinos and Estadão.