A viral claim suggesting Covid-19 vaccines caused a surge in miscarriages, cancer, and neurological illnesses has been proven false after scrutiny revealed a data error. Experts affirm the safety of vaccines amid ongoing misinformation campaigns.
A claim that Covid-19 vaccines drove a surge in miscarriages, cancer and neurological illness has spread again online, but it rests on a known data error, according to Full Fact.
The video at the centre of the latest circulation shows an attorney speaking during a panel discussion in January 2022. In that clip, he cites figures suggesting miscarriages and cancer had risen by 300% above the five-year average, while neurological conditions had increased by more than 1,000%.
Full Fact says those numbers came from military health records in the US Department of Defense’s Defence Medical Epidemiology Database, which had undercounted the previous rate of those conditions. Once the error was corrected, the apparent increases were far smaller.
That correction, however, did not establish that vaccinations were behind the changes. As the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly noted, Covid-19 vaccines have been subject to the most intensive safety monitoring in US history, with established surveillance systems tracking potential adverse events. The agency has also published data supporting the safety of vaccination in pregnant people, including during the Delta wave, when unvaccinated pregnant patients faced greater risks from Covid itself.
The renewed spread of the claim fits a broader pattern. Full Fact has previously debunked a series of misleading vaccine allegations, while Lead Stories also concluded in 2022 that the dramatic injury figures circulating from Department of Defense sources were based on inaccurate data that the department later moved to correct.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
