No WHO statement linking vaccines to climate change | Fact check - USA TODAY
No WHO statement linking vaccines to climate change | Fact check
No, WHO did not say ‘mass vaccination’ required to fight climate change | Fact check
Isabella Fertel
The claim: WHO declares ‘mass vaccination’ is required to combat climate change
An Aug. 26 article from The People’s Voice claims the World Health Organization has announced a new initiative to mitigate climate change.
“WHO Declares Mass Vaccination Required To Combat Effects of Climate Change,” reads the article’s headline.
The article was shared more than 50 times in one week on Facebook, according to the social media analytics tool CrowdTangle.
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Our rating: False
A WHO spokesperson said the organization made no such declaration. The article was published by a website that regularly publishes fabricated stories.
WHO did not announce upcoming ‘mass vaccination’
The WHO is a United Nations agency created to “promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable,” according to its website.
The agency did not announce that mass vaccinations would soon be required for any reason, let alone to fight the effects of climate change, WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told USA TODAY in an email.
There is no mention of "mass vaccinations" to combat the effects of climate change anywhere on the WHO’s website.
The People’s Voice article references an Aug. 9 media briefing as purported evidence for its claim.
Several experts and reporters in the briefing discuss the role of climate change in the spread of dengue and other mosquito-borne illnesses to places where such infections don’t usually occur. However, there was no announcement or mention of any kind of vaccine requirement tied to global warming at any point during the press conference.
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The People's Voice, previously known as NewsPunch, has a lengthy history of publishing fabricated stories, many of which have been debunked by USA TODAY. Global organizations like the World Economic Forum and the WHO are frequent subjects of its baseless claims.
USA TODAY reached out to The People's Voice for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
Margaret Harris, Aug. 31, Email exchange with USA TODAY
- WHO, accessed Aug. 31, About us
- WHO, accessed Aug. 31, Newsroom
- WHO, Aug. 9, WHO press conference on global health issues – 9 August 2023
- WHO (YouTube), Aug. 9, Media briefing on global health issues 09 August 2023
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate legislation
The federal government and states are in the process of implementing two laws — the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — an investment of more than a trillion dollars to address climate change.