A video falsely portraying Professor Salim Abdool Karim criticising Covid-19 vaccines has been denounced as disinformation, according to the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa (Caprisa) and the Department of Health, which told News24 the “fabricated and harmful” video forms part of a broader misinformation campaign.
Epidemiologist Karim, now Caprisa’s director, was chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee during the pandemic, but in the AI-generated video, circulated widely on social media, he is falsely shown in an interview with SABC news anchor Oliver Dickson.
During the fabricated exchange, the professor appears to claim that Covid-19 vaccines are causing harm and fatalities.
The interview never took place, and both Caprisa and the Department of Health have categorically dismissed its contents as false. Dickson also released a statement saying the interview never happened.
In a public statement, Caprisa said: “Abdool Karim refutes in its entirety the contents of this latest fake video being circulated on social media sites and other communication applications.”
The institute reaffirmed Karim has long supported the scientific consensus on Covid-19 vaccines, and rejected any suggestion that he or the organisation had endorsed alternative products:
The National Department of Health echoed Caprisa’s concerns, with Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi describing the video as part of a “sustained campaign of misinformation and disinformation” aimed at undermining public confidence in life-saving vaccines.
According to the department, the campaign is not simply ideological – it is also financially motivated. The individuals behind the video are believed to be promoting unregulated mail-order remedies that falsely claim to treat cardiovascular illness.
The deepfake video is the latest in a string of vaccine-related hoaxes gaining traction in South Africa.
In recent weeks, News24’s Disinformation Desk has debunked a viral video that claimed Japanese data from 18m vaccinated people proved people die sooner with each additional Covid-19 dose. The video presented no individual-level data, no peer-reviewed methodology, and no official endorsement from Japanese authorities.
Despite this, the video was promoted by anti-vaccine activists, including Tim Noakes, who used it to renew his long-standing opposition to mRNA vaccines.
Other hoaxes include a widely shared Facebook post warning of a “deadly” new Covid-Omicron XBB variant, which News24 has shown to be a rehashed false post that’s already several years old
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Vaccines still vital as COVID-19 changes – Abdool Karim
Dump ineffective COVID drugs, Abdool Karim urges
More recognition, accolades for Abdool Karims, with award from Japan