A video featuring RFK Jr. claims that the flu shot weakens the immune system through “pathogenic priming,” making people more likely to get non-flu infections, including a 36% higher risk of coronavirus. It also claims that its ingredients—such as mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde—are toxic, leading to long-term health problems.

The tweet where this video was published also contained studies for us to look at and discuss:

“The PENTAGON published a study in which they said the flu shot not only primes you for flu, it primes you for coronavirus,” followed by the study.

Let’s look at what this study says. The first line of the conclusion states that getting the flu vaccine did not cause people to be more likely to get other viruses. It also says that the flu vaccine provided strong protection—not just against different types of flu but also against other illnesses like parainfluenza, RSV, and other non-flu viruses. Plus, the Department of Defense still requires the flu vaccine.

“Flu Vaccine Causes 4.4X More Illness,” with the source, a study that looked at 115 children.

The above study also examined about 6,000 adults and found that getting a flu vaccine was associated with fewer instances of other non-flu respiratory illnesses. Cherry-picking data they like is a regular tactic of the anti-vaccine world.

“Flu Vaccine Enhanced Coronavirus,” with the accompanying source.

This study shows that getting a flu shot does not make you more likely to catch COVID-19 or have a worse case of it. Instead, vaccines help protect against serious illness from many viruses, including the flu and COVID.

“Vaccine Pathogenic Priming.” The accompanying source was written in 2020, well before any COVID vaccine was introduced and was written by a well-known anti-vaccine figure.

The best evidence we have from real-world data and clinical trials shows that vaccines do exactly what they’re supposed to do: protect people from getting very sick. The idea that vaccines make infections worse is based on outdated science, misleading arguments, and fear, not facts.

Remember that getting a COVID vaccine will strengthen the immune system by providing your body with the tools it needs to recognize and fight the virus more effectively.

A video featuring former vice presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan claims that vaccines harm children’s immune systems, that studies proving this have been hidden due to fear, and that more evidence will soon come out showing the dangers of vaccines.

We all know that vaccines actually train the immune system to recognize and fight harmful germs without making you sick. When you get a vaccine, your body learns how to defend itself so that if you ever come into contact with the real virus or bacteria, you won’t get seriously ill.

Research shows that vaccinated kids are just as healthy as unvaccinated kids and are not more likely to get other infections.

More importantly, studies are not rejected from publication due to fear of punishment but because they do not meet scientific standards. There is no single organization that controls all scientific journals. Journals are published in different countries and follow independent review processes. No single government or agency oversees all of science, and decisions about which studies get published are made by experts based on the quality and accuracy of the research.

For example, JAMA’s acceptance rate is just 12% of article submissions, while Lancet’s is 5%. When you hear hoofbeats, look for horses and not zebras.

Another video purporting to debunk Dr. Paul Offit suggests that COVID mRNA vaccines contain hidden DNA fragments that could permanently change human genes, possibly causing cancer, autoimmune diseases, or other health problems.

Angus Dalgleish, who had a financial interest in a competing COVID vaccine while he was speaking out against mRNA vaccines, was citing bad science when claiming contamination of synthetic DNA that “presents risks of a genomic instability which can manifest as cancers, immune disorders, and hereditary diseases.”

Kevin McKernan, the person behind this attempted takedown of Dr. Offit, is known for publishing papers that claim to show DNA contamination in vaccines. His research was based on testing 24 unopened vials that had expired and three vials containing leftover vaccine that was still within its use date, which raises questions about the reliability of his findings.

The exported and improperly stored vaccines are a problem. Since mRNA breaks down or degrades much faster than DNA, the small amounts of DNA used in making the vaccine could become larger in proportion compared to the mRNA remaining. The DNA would be more noticeable, especially in expired vials or vials that weren’t stored correctly.

More importantly, mRNA and promoters cannot get into the nucleus of cells and cannot change DNA. mRNA is single-stranded and simply cannot integrate into double-stranded DNA. mRNA vaccines are not gene therapy.

There is also no evidence that COVID vaccines cause cancer. Some of the most powerful carcinogens can take years to manifest in the form of cancer. And while there has been an increase in early-onset cancers, this increase started in the early 1990s, well before the introduction of COVID vaccines.