On November 26, the pseudo-medical organization World Council for Health reported that it had joined several European countries to call for the “immediate suspension” of mRNA vaccines in a letter to the countries’ heads of state. The letter is signed by a total of eight politicians from Finland, Lithuania, Greenland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Australia. None of the signatories are high-ranking elected officials. Several U.S. vaccine opponents shared the letter. A post with over 130,000 engagements as of December 3 claims that WCH is backed by thousands of “physicians and scientists” who believe COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous.
Recommendation
Calls to ban mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been circulating among vaccine opponents for years, typically supported by false claims about the vaccines’ safety. Prebunking messaging may highlight that the World Council for Health was established in 2021 to promote false narratives about COVID-19 and vaccines. It is not a legitimate medical or health organization, and it is closely affiliated with explicitly anti-vaccine organizations. Debunking messaging may emphasize that contrary to what is implied in posts sharing the letter, no countries have endorsed the call to suspend mRNA vaccines. A handful of politicians, none of them particularly high ranking, from six countries signed a letter from an anti-vaccine organization with no authority or expertise in global health.
Fact-checking sources: Public Good News, Vice
