Last Updated on September 16, 2023 by Neelam Singh
Quick Take
A social media post claims that the World Health Organization has said that the COVID-19 vaccine causes multiple sclerosis. We fact-checked and found this claim to be False.
The Claim
An Instagram post featuring a famous YouTuber John Campbell states, “Last week, the World Health Organization put out a release showing that there was a possible causal relationship between COVID-19 vaccine and multiple sclerosis. It says COVID-19 vaccination can induce multiple sclerosis via cross-reactivity with T helper cells.
COVID-19 vaccination can induce — now this is the WHO — so can induce multiple sclerosis via cross-reactive T helper cells, CD4 cells, recognizing SARS-Coronavirus-2 spike protein and as we’ve said myelin, this essential myelin that protects the cells in the central nervous system.
Now, this is pretty significant in itself, because here we have the WHO actually admitting that SARS-Coronavirus-2 vaccines can cause autoimmune phenomena.
Fact Check
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a medical condition that affects the nervous system. It happens when the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers. This damage disrupts the normal communication between the brain and the rest of the body, leading to various symptoms like problems with movement, balance, vision, and coordination. The exact cause of MS is still not fully understood, but it’s thought to involve a mix of genetic and environmental factors.
Did WHO say that the COVID-19 vaccine causes multiple sclerosis?
No. The screenshots making the rounds on social media depict an excerpt from a study accessible in the Global COVID-19 Research Database. However, it’s important to note that this paper isn’t generated or officially sanctioned by the World Health Organization (WHO). The video used in the Instagram post is derived from a YouTube video published on May 29, 2023. It features John Campbell, a popular YouTube host with more than 2.8 million subscribers to his channel. Professionally, he is not a physician but a retired nurse educator and A and E nurse. He has been involved with spreading misinformation about COVID-19 previously by various fact-checking websites as seen on Google Fact Check Explorer.
This particular abstract was released in 2022 in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal. The research looked at two cases of multiple sclerosis that appeared very close to the time when people got COVID-19 vaccines based on mRNA technology. The conclusion drawn from the study suggested a potential link between these cases and the COVID-19 inoculations.
It’s worth noting that while acknowledging this research, the researchers emphasized its limitations and the study underscored the necessity for further investigations to substantiate these initial findings.
Additionally, a probable causal relationship has been established between CNS demyelination (such as in cases of Multiple Sclerosis) and COVID-19 infection.
In order to prove that Covid-19 vaccines cause multiple sclerosis, a different type of study (experimental) with very large numbers of people, from multiple locations would be needed.
WHO and Covid-19 vaccine has attracted a lot of false claims in the past, such as WHO say that children should not get vaccinated for Covid, Covid-19 vaccines causing cancer, and several others.
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