FALSE: WHO has not declared mass vaccination to combat climate change

A spokesperson for the UN agency has dismissed the claim as incorrect.

This screenshot of an article on Facebook claiming that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mass vaccinations to combat climate change is FALSE.

The screenshot was taken from the website of thepeoplesvoice.tv, where it was published on 26 August 2023.

The article attributes the purported declaration to Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19.

The publication adds that Dr Kerkhove made the comments at a recent press conference while seated next to WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus.

The article also links to a legitimate recording of that WHO press conference shared on the global body’s YouTube channel 9 August 2023.

On 25 August 2023, WHO also posted a broadcast of the same press conference on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Dr Kerkhove spoke during the question and answer session of the press conference as seen here, here, and here.

However, a careful review of the various responses shows that the infectious disease epidemiologist was responding to questions on how climate change has contributed to the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever. At no point did the WHO official declare that mass vaccinations may be considered to combat climate change.

There is no information about the said declaration on either the WHO website, its Facebook page, or X account, where the UN agency routinely shares updates of interest to the public.

In an email response to PesaCheck, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević denounced the claim, saying that the UN agency has not made such a declaration.

“That claim is not correct,” Jašarević wrote.

PesaCheck has examined a claim on FAcebook that the World Health Organization has declared mass vaccinations to combat climate change and found it to be FALSE.