WHAT WAS CLAIMED
The WHO has admitted monkeypox is a side effect of the COVID mRNA vaccine.
OUR VERDICT
False. Mpox is listed in a database of unverified possible vaccine side effects but no causal link has been found.
AAP FACTCHECK - The World Health Organization (WHO) has not admitted mpox is a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines, despite social media claims.
The posts distort information submitted to a database that contains unverified reports of potential vaccine side effects.
The WHO and vaccine experts say simply being on the list doesn't mean there's a link between mpox and COVID vaccines.
The claims come amid an ongoing outbreak of mpox, which began in May 2022.
One Facebook post is captioned: "The World Health Organization (WHO) has admitted that so-called 'monkeypox' is actually a side effect of Covid mRNA 'vaccines'."
It continues: "The United Nations 'health' buried the admission on the WHO's VigiAccess website.
"The website contains a database that lists all known side effects of all drugs and vaccines that have been approved for public use.
"Under 'potential side effects' for the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the WHO lists 'monkeypox,' 'smallpox,' and 'cow pox' among hundreds of other disorders."
Similar posts have been shared widely on Facebook, many of which repeat parts of an article published on the Slay News website on March 30, 2025.
This site has been rated as a "questionable source … based on the promotion of conspiracy theories" by Media Bias/Fact Check, which rates the credibility of media sources.
VigiAccess is a database that lists health events reported by people after taking a drug or vaccine.
A spokesperson for the WHO's Western Pacific office told AAP FactCheck that an adverse event appearing in the database does not mean the WHO has confirmed any links between a vaccine and a health condition.
The spokesperson said many countries collect data on health events that occur after vaccination as part of routine monitoring, but they are not verified for proof of causation.
"This means someone could contract mpox or another illness after vaccination for unrelated reasons, and the event may be logged for transparency - but this does not mean the vaccine caused the illness."
The VigiAccess website repeatedly explains that information on the site is only about potential side effects.
The site says it "cannot be used to infer any confirmed link between a suspected side effect and any specific medicine", and that doing so "requires a thorough scientific assessment and detailed evaluation of all available data".
The site also requires people to click a note acknowledging they have read and understood those statements before accessing the database.
Experts from Australia's National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) and New Zealand's Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC) agreed the social media posts were incorrect.
IMAC medical adviser Joan Ingram told AAP FactCheck events are self-reported to "raise issues that occurred post-vaccination, not to confirm causality".
"Association is not causality and further research is always required to confirm if there is any potential link," she said.
Experts also dismissed claims that mpox is related to COVID mRNA vaccines.
"Mpox is a viral disease caused by the mpox virus (a type of orthopoxvirus). It is not caused by any vaccine," the WHO spokesperson said.
Nicholas Wood, a vaccine expert at the University of Sydney, noted that hundreds of adverse events are reported in the database for COVID vaccines, including joint dislocation, hip fracture and road traffic accident.
"Are they also suggesting the vaccine leads to a traffic accident?" said Professor Wood, who's an associate director at NCIRS.
"I think they've cherry-picked mpox to suit their argument."
Dr Ingram confirmed "there is absolutely no connection" between mpox and COVID vaccines.
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