WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A study has linked COVID vaccines to "VAIDS" in children.
OUR VERDICT
False. The study doesn't mention so-called VAIDS or explore the disputed condition.
AAP FACTCHECK - A study has not discovered a link between COVID-19 vaccines and so-called "vaccine-acquired immune deficiency syndrome" (VAIDS), despite claims on social media.
The study's co-author said the claims being shared online misrepresent the paper's findings and the research does not "support or explore" the notion of VAIDS, which is not a recognised medical condition.
"Official Study Links COVID-19 Vaccines to VAIDS in Children," is the headline of a People's Voice story shared widely on social media.
AAP FactCheck has debunked The People's Voice website numerous times.
The story claims the study found a "disturbing link" between "COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (VAIDS) in children, showing a 23% increased risk of autoimmune diseases in those who received at least one dose".
A 2022 Reuters fact check explains that claims vaccination can cause AIDS, or VAIDS, are unfounded.
The Israeli study, published in the journal Pediatric Rheumatology, looked into the association between autoimmune disease in children and COVID infection and vaccination.
Co-author Cynthia Freiberg said the People's Voice article misrepresents the findings.
Specifically, she said VAIDS "was neither defined nor included in the scope, methodology, or conclusions of our study".
"Any claims suggesting otherwise are misrepresentations of our research," Dr Freiberg added.
Within the study, the acronym "AIDs" is used for autoimmune diseases.
The analysis looked at conditions including arthritis, coeliac disease, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes, but VAIDS was not included in the list of assessed autoimmune diseases.
Almost half a million Israeli medical records were analysed to find the occurrence of autoimmune disease in people aged under 21 between 2014 and 2022.
While COVID infection was not significantly associated with increased autoimmune disease risk, receiving at least one COVID vaccine was linked to higher risk.
However, Dr Freiberg said the article's portrayal of a "23 per cent increased risk" is misleading.
The study found a statistically significant association between COVID-19 vaccination and a "modest increase" in the risk of autoimmune diseases in children, she told AAP FactCheck, but the results did not establish a causal relationship and should be interpreted with caution.
The "23 per cent" cited in the article appears to be a misinterpretation, Dr Freiberg said, as it presented the relative risk without context and did not take into account the small baseline figures.
The research analysed the medical records of 493,705 Israelis aged between one and 21 years of age, examining autoimmune disease occurrence.
The records included details of COVID vaccination and infection.
While COVID infection was not significantly associated with increased autoimmune disease risk, receiving at least one COVID vaccine was.
Dr Freiberg explained that about 0.9 per cent of the study cohort developed an autoimmune disease.
Those who received one or more COVID shots were 23 times more likely to develop an autoimmune condition compared to the unvaccinated, which translates to a relative risk of 1.23.
As the number of people overall who developed an autoimmune condition was so small - just 450 out of almost half a million - the 0.9 per cent relative risk converted to an absolute risk of just 0.21 per cent, Dr Freiberg said.
In other words, the study found that if nine (0.9 per cent) out of 1000 unvaccinated people developed an autoimmune disease, 11 out of 1000 vaccinated people would develop a disease.
"Presenting the relative figure without context can be misleading, especially when the absolute numbers are low," Dr Freiberg said.
She said it was also important to note no causal relationship was established, with the observational nature of the study meaning potential confounding factors - such as different healthcare-seeking behaviour - could influence the finding.
"We clearly state that these results do not establish a causal relationship and should be interpreted with caution."
The study concludes: "While no significant association was found between COVID-19 infection and the development of autoimmune diseases, the potential association with vaccination warrants further investigation" (page 9).
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