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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A doctor's inaccurate comments on social media about a medical study in South Korea turned into an online campaign of misinformation and panic.
On November 9, cardiac surgeon Edvin Prifti shared four photos from a study conducted in South Korea, titled: “1-year cancer risks associated with COVID-19 vaccination: a population-based cohort study in South Korea.”
The priest accompanied the post with a personal interpretation, claiming that the material proved a direct link between vaccines and cancer.
"There is no other explanation than hatred of man! A holocaust without any discrimination!" he wrote.
Over 15 Albanian-language online sites, including the daily Gazeta Dita and other portals, shared Prifti's post with alarming headlines. The post was retweeted by 129 followers of the Albanian cardiologist and generated viral videos on social media.
The study referred to by Dr. Prifti, published by the journal "Biomarker Research", was authored by four South Korean scientists.
However, unlike the Albanian doctor's claim, he does not write that there is a causal link between vaccination against COVID-19 and an increased risk of cancer.
The study authors themselves specifically emphasize in their published conclusions that their findings do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between cancer and the vaccine.
"Further studies are needed to clarify possible causal relationships," they write in the study's conclusions.
Asked by BIRN about his statement about the study, cardiac surgeon Prifti insisted on his stance on the link between vaccines and cancer.
"In conclusion, I think the data is overwhelming and compelling," he said, acknowledging, however, that "further studies are needed."
Old and debunked news
The recent buzz in Albania over this study is based on a story that has long been denied internationally. The study, originally published in Biomarker Research as a letter to the editor, went viral in the English-speaking world after a sensationalist article in the British newspaper 'Daily Mail' on September 29.
Experts and fact-checking sites like Full Fact immediately reacted, forcing the Daily Mail to correct the article. In a revised version, the newspaper clarified that the study did not prove a link between the vaccine and tumors. Pathologists explained that “it is medically impossible for a solid cancer to develop to the point of being diagnosed within a year.”
According to experts, the increase in the number of diagnoses is related to the fact that vaccinated people have had more medical visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the discovery of existing diseases, not their creation by the vaccine.
Beyond the South Korean study, Dr. Prifti said he was convinced of the veracity of the link between the COVID-19 vaccine and tumors.
To support his thesis, Prifti referred to another study from Italy with about 300,000 inhabitants, where according to him a 23% increase in tumors was found in the vaccinated. But even in this case, the interpretation contradicts the conclusions of the authors. The Italian researchers emphasize that: “Subjects who received the vaccine showed almost a halving of the risk of death from any cause after a follow-up period of 25 months.”
Here too, the authors explain that the detection of more cancer cases is related to more frequent medical monitoring of vaccinated people and not to the vaccine causing the disease.
The rapid redistribution of this alarming information across a large number of Albanian online media outlets once again demonstrates the vulnerability of the public and the serious shortcomings in the fact-checking process in the domestic media landscape.
Health misinformation, especially that related to vaccines, often finds fertile ground in Albania, especially when it comes from authoritative figures such as doctors.
The COVID-19 pandemic, globally, was accompanied by what the World Health Organization called an "infodemic" - a massive and rapid spread of inaccurate information, often with the aim of manipulation.
In Albania, this wave of misinformation particularly hit vaccines, fueling hesitation among a significant portion of citizens, despite the health institutions' campaign for immunization.
The direct consequences of these false health claims are severe. They not only sow panic and uncertainty, but potentially hinder vaccination rates and increase the risk of morbidity and mortality in the population. / BIRN
Dr Ervin Prifti eshte akuzuar se ka abuzuar me detyren . Ka marre para, ne spitalin shteteror . Operonte, ke paguante nen dore . Fushaten e shfrenuar antivaks e zhvilloi si opozitar me qeverine . Nuk kishte lidhje me kovidin po me luften kunder qeverise ne mbeshtetje te opozites .
Iku edhe Pamfleti! U merbazizua! Harrojne qe ne kete vend qellojne me gure vetem pemet me kokrra. Dhe ankohemi se perse jemi kaq mbrapa botes!