Correcting this week’s misinformation: week of June 4 2026

It’s not uncommon to come across someone who has refused COVID vaccination because they believe it contains DNA that can cause them harm.

Biology tells us that this is virtually impossible because our cells have many layers of protection. This fantastic video from the Vaccine Education Center at CHOP explains everything.

To understand why, it helps to know where our DNA is located. DNA is the molecule that contains the instructions for building and operating our bodies. In human cells, DNA is stored inside a special compartment called the nucleus, which acts like a secure control center. The DNA is organized into structures called chromosomes, which are tightly packed bundles of genetic material.

For a foreign piece of DNA to affect our DNA, it would have to overcome several major obstacles. First, it would need to get through the cell’s outer membrane, which is the protective boundary surrounding every cell. This membrane carefully controls what enters and leaves the cell. Cells also have systems that recognize materials that do not belong there. When foreign substances, including stray DNA fragments, are detected, the cell can break them down and destroy them before they cause any problems.

Cells have additional defenses as well. Some cells can trigger a process called programmed cell death (sometimes called apoptosis), in which the cell safely destroys itself if it detects a serious threat. This helps protect the rest of the body from potential harm.

Even if a foreign DNA fragment somehow managed to enter a cell and avoid being destroyed, it would still face another challenge: reaching the nucleus. The nucleus is surrounded by its own protective barrier called the nuclear membrane, which carefully regulates what can enter. This membrane contains specialized gateways that allow only certain molecules through. Foreign DNA does not normally have the necessary signals to pass these checkpoints.

As a result, a foreign DNA fragment would have to successfully bypass multiple layers of security: the body’s defenses, the cell membrane, the cell’s internal systems that destroy unwanted material, and the nucleus’s own protective barriers. Because each of these barriers is highly effective, the chances of a random piece of foreign DNA reaching our chromosomes and becoming part of our DNA are extraordinarily small.

Have you read section 13.1 of a vaccine’s package inserts? They say the vaccines have not been tested to see if they can cause cancer, change DNA, or affect a man’s ability to have children. Does that mean that they do cause those things?

What Federal Vaccine Labels Say About Safety Testing

Federal rules say that drug and vaccine inserts (the papers that come inside the box for the vaccine) must include a section about three safety questions:

1. Can it cause cancer
2. Can it damage genes?
3. Can it affect fertility?

This section is called “Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility.” The insert must say if long-term animal studies were done. These studies look for possible risks, such as cancer or fertility problems. If the studies found anything important, the insert must explain it.

The rules also say that this section is only for animal study information. If there is safety information from humans, it belongs in a different part of the label, such as the “Warnings and Precautions” section.

All of this to say that vaccines and their ingredients are indeed reviewed for possible risks, including cancer, gene damage, and fertility problems.

Vaccines are also watched closely after they are used by the public. Several safety systems continuously monitor or check for possible problems. These systems help experts find safety concerns, including issues related to cancer, gene changes, or fertility.

In a video featuring Peter McCullough, he claims that Ebola is used to scare people and prepare the market for vaccines. It also claims Ebola is really more of a sanitation problem than a virus problem.

Peter McCullough is claiming that “four weeks before the Ebola outbreak was announced, the WHO approved an Ebola vaccine.” He says this shows that drug companies were getting the market ready ahead of time. He also says the WHO works closely with vaccine companies and that the timing of outbreaks and vaccine approvals raises concerns.

But this claim has an important problem. The approved vaccine is for the Zaire strain of Ebola. The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain. These are different strains of the same virus family.

Scientists are studying vaccines for Bundibugyo Ebola, but they are not ready yet. So the approved vaccine and the current outbreak are only partially related. The timing alone does not show that one caused the other or that the outbreak was planned.

Ebola is not a new disease. Different strains of Ebola have caused more than 25 outbreaks since the virus was first found in 1976. These outbreaks have led to thousands of deaths. Scientists have also been working on Ebola vaccines for many years, especially since the large outbreak that began in 2014.

Right now, Ebola is a serious health emergency in some countries in Africa. But it is not considered a major risk for most people in the United States. Most people in the U.S. are very unlikely to need an Ebola vaccine.

Claims like this can sound alarming, but they leave out key facts. In this case, the vaccine approval does not match the strain causing the outbreak. That makes the claim much weaker than it may first appear.