As proof that no vaccines are safe, Steve Kirsch is amplifying a video of attorney Aaron Siri sowing doubt about vaccine safety data, pointing to Hepatitis B clinical trials.

This claim relies on package insert data, as opposed to actual clinical trial information. Vaccine inserts are legal documents and not medical or research documents. Looking at the actual clinical trial information for the Hep B vaccine shows that the “five days” were specifically for injection site non-serious adverse events (NSAEs). Researchers watched for serious events for the length of the study (5 months for that particular study), 14 days for systemic NSAEs (i.e., fevers), and five only days for the injection site NSAEs.

Hep B infection can lead to chronic Hep B. Chronic Hep B can last a lifetime and lead to serious illnesses such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. The younger you are when you get hepatitis B, the more likely it will become chronic. There is no cure for hepatitis B, but vaccines can prevent it.

The widespread implementation of Hep B vaccination programs, including the birth dose, has led to significant reductions in Hep B worldwide. By immunizing newborns, the goal is to achieve a high vaccination coverage rate and create a population with decreased Hep B transmission, ultimately reducing the burden of related diseases.

A new video featuring former CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield claims mRNA COVID vaccines may cause serious side effects, contain SV40, last longer in the body than expected, and should be rechecked for safety, especially since alternatives are now available.

The DNA many misinformed have claimed is running amock in mRNA vaccines is from a virus named SV40, a simian virus that is most commonly found in the kidneys of several kinds of monkeys. It can also sometimes infect humans and can potentially cause cancer via tumor (T) antigens.

Unfortunately, early batches of the polio vaccine became contaminated with SV40, and the methods used to inactivate the poliovirus did not reliably inactivate SV40. Importantly, epidemiological studies have found no increased cancer risk in those who received these vaccines.

Since then, a promoter gene (a DNA sequence that starts RNA transcription) of SV40 has been found to promote a high level of gene expression for producing proteins and has been used in DNA vaccines. The sequence used is just the promoter gene and does not include any part of the DNA sequence that encodes for the T antigen of SV40. While promoters like the SV40 promoter are used in the manufacturing of mRNA vaccines, they are not considered an ingredient in the vaccines as the vast majority of it is removed during production.

Manufacturing vaccines for a small batch for a trial is a very different process than manufacturing thousands of doses at a time. Process 1 is the small batch process, while process 2 is the scaled-up version.

Although the processes are different, they are both held to the same safety and quality standards.

Original claims that DNA plasmids were found in mRNA vaccines at a higher proportion of mRNA to DNA than is allowed by FDA guidelines stem from a previous preprint paper acknowledging that one limitation of the study is the “unknown provenance of the vaccine vials under study.”

One great thing about using mRNA in these vaccines is that mRNA degrades very quickly, generally within days. The spike protein stimulates immunity and will be neutralized by the immune system. But it will generally be produced for only a few days.

See more debunked claims about mRNA COVID vaccines and SV40.

An anti-vaxxer’s tweet claims a new bird flu vaccine uses self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) technology, which allegedly copies itself without an off switch. It describes the vaccine as risky gain-of-function technology, suggests it’s part of a plan for a future pandemic, and raises alarm over its development.

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) helps the U.S. prepare for potential health emergencies. It provided funding for this H5N1 vaccine because developing tools to fight future pandemics is part of its mission. Using taxpayer money for this kind of research is normal and helps protect public health. This is not a conspiracy, even though BARDA does sound kind of ominous.

Studying H5N1 bird flu right now is important because this virus has the potential to cause a serious global outbreak, or pandemic, in the future.

H5N1 is a type of bird flu that mainly infects birds, but in rare cases, it has spread to humans. When it does, it can be very dangerous, with over half of the people infected since 2003 dying from it. This makes it one of the deadliest flu viruses known. Fortunately, it does not spread easily from person to person yet.

The concern is that viruses like H5N1 can change over time. These mutations could allow the virus to spread more easily between humans, leading to a pandemic. Since we cannot predict when or how this might happen, preparing now by studying the virus is a smart and proactive step.

Like mRNA, saRNA vaccines give your cells short-term instructions to make a harmless spike protein. This helps your immune system learn to fight the virus. The RNA in the vaccine is broken down by your body within days or weeks. It doesn’t become part of your DNA or stay in your body permanently.

While saRNA does copy itself, it doesn’t do so endlessly. Its replication stops the same way virus replication stops. It triggers an immune response that clears it. Once the RNA is gone, your cells stop making the spike protein. The immune system remembers the spike proteins to protect you in the future, but it doesn’t keep them around or keep manufacturing them.

Some people worry that developing vaccines ahead of time is part of a conspiracy, but if we learned anything about avian flu from Parks and Recreation, it is that these studies and exercises are important for keeping all of us safe. They aren’t planning a fake pandemic to hurt us. They are trying to predict what the pandemic threats are to be ready for them and possibly prevent them.