Warning about cancer cases due to Covid vaccines is based on unverified reports in the USA

It is false that the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported a 14,000% increase in cancer cases as a result of vaccines against Covid-19, as stated in publications with thousands of views on social media since 15 April 2024. The posts are based on an article that erroneously cites unverified reports of adverse events following vaccination. Public health authorities have found no evidence linking immunization with the development of cancer.

“The CDC has warned that COVID-19 vaccines have caused at least a 14,000% increase in turbo-cancer cases in the United States.”say publications shared on Facebook, Telegram and X.

The content also circulates in Spanish and English.

Screenshot taken on May 3, 2024 of a Telegram post (.)

The World Health Organization stated in February 2024 that cancer is increasing worldwide, in part due to the aging and growing population and the “changes in people’s exposure to risk factors, several of which are associated with socioeconomic development”.

The American Cancer Society estimated that, in the United States alone, more than two million new cases of cancer will be reported this year.

However, there are no studies that link the increase in cancer cases with vaccines against Covid-19.

Skewed data

Some publications share an article that mentions the website “The Exposé”, already verified on other occasions by AFP (1, 2, 3), as a source of the statement.

The Exposé text, published on April 14, 2024, states that CDC data shows that there was “a 6,113% increase in cancer cases due to vaccination against covid-19”.

The statement is based on a comparison between reports of cancer occurring after flu and covid-19 vaccines.

“People in their 30s reported only one case of cancer due to influenza vaccination between January 1, 2021 and March 29, 2024, while 141 cases of cancer were reported among people in their 30s due to influenza immunization. Covid-19″the article states.

“This equates to a shocking 14,000% increase in cancer cases due to COVID-19 vaccination”he adds – this is the part cited in viral publications.

Consulted by AFP, Wilbur Chen, a physician-scientist specializing in infectious diseases at the University of Maryland, explained that the text in The Exposé is based on an interpretation “completely unscientific” data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in the United States.

The CDC and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) use this US government database to discover possible safety problems in authorized vaccines.

Anyone, from doctors and nurses to patients and parents, can submit a report to VAERS about potential adverse events following vaccination. Healthcare professionals are required to report serious events, even if they are not suspected to be related to the vaccine.

AFP analyzed VAERS data and found more reports of cancer after vaccination against Covid-19 than after immunization against the flu. But Daniel Salmon, director of the Vaccine Safety Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said The Exposé’s interpretation is “absolutely incorrect”.

“VAERS accepts reports from anyone about anything”said in an April 26 email. “I could get a Covid vaccine and my dog ​​gets hit by a car and I could report that to VAERS. This does not mean the vaccine caused my dog ​​to be run over.”

VAERS warns on its website that not all notifications are verified: “It is generally not possible to find out from VAERS data whether a vaccine caused the adverse event”he informs, adding that “serious adverse events are more likely to be reported than non-serious ones”.

Researchers use the database to detect possible side effects of vaccines, according to the CDC. If they see a pattern, they conduct follow-up research to determine whether the reaction was caused by the vaccine.

In turn, Nick Spinelli, spokesperson for the CDC, explained to AFP that “so far there is no evidence to indicate that vaccines against covid-19 cause any type of cancer”.

“The authorized and approved Covid vaccines are being administered amid the most comprehensive and intensive vaccine safety surveillance efforts in US history.”said Spinelli.

He further added that: “After administering more than 676 million doses, safety monitoring has not established an association between vaccination against Covid-19 and an increased risk of developing any type of cancer. There is no data to suggest that vaccines against Covid-19 cause cancer, recurrence or progression of the disease.”.

The AFP has already verified other misleading or false claims about vaccination against Covid-19. With the exception of a few rare serious side effects, public health agencies around the world say the vaccines are safe and effective in preventing serious illness and death.

In Brazil, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) reinforced that vaccination against covid-19 “remains the most effective way to reduce deaths and serious illnesses from the infection”in a note published in April 2023,

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