A KwaZulu-Natal doctor has been hauled before the Health Professions Council of South Africa for claiming Covid-19 vaccines are unsafe.
Prof Francois Venter, a renowned HIV expert and director of Ezintsha — a research centre based at the University of Witwatersrand — laid a complaint against KwaZulu-Natal general practitioner Dr Shankara Chetty for claiming Covid-19 vaccines are unsafe.
Now Chetty, whose hearing has been set down for May 17, wants to counter Venter’s complaint to the HPCSA, alleging he “spread misinformation and recklessly endangered lives by saying the vaccine is safe and effective”.
Chetty claims the regulatory body is trying to silence him because “they are controlled by pharmaceutical companies”.
The Port Edward-based doctor claims to have successfully treated more than 14,000 people by identifying the spike protein in Covid-19 that allegedly caused an allergic reaction and cured patients with a combination of antihistamines and steroids.
Spike proteins are found on the surface of the coronavirus and help cause infection.
“I was of the opinion the allergy I was seeing in my patients was because of the spike protein.
“We have been exposed to coronaviruses all our lives as human beings and didn’t have this kind of reaction. You have an allergic reaction when you are exposed to something new,” said Chetty.
Chetty wrote an article about his observations including the treatment protocols he employed for 200 patients, who all survived.
It was published in the South African magazine Modern Medicine.
“From the examination, treatment and follow-up of over 200 symptomatic Covid patients, it is my opinion that Covid illness has two aetiologies. It is initially a respiratory viral infection with typical symptoms, progression and outcomes over the initial seven days,” he said in the article.
“On around day seven, a Type 1 hypersensitivity reaction is triggered in those that are sensitive, leading to the sequelae typically seen on admission.
“This reaction causes the release of chemical mediators in the lung, resulting in inflammation, oedema and, in time, massive cell damage. The resultant cellular disruption is what triggers the ‘cytokine storm’ in an attempt to repair damaged cells and remove debris. This release of cytokine triggers a cascade of events that produce the variety of pathologies that are seen,” said Chetty.
He attempted to share his findings with medical journals globally but was rejected.
The HPCSA informed Chetty in October an inquiry was being conducted and last month he learnt he was being charged.
In the charge sheet, the council accused Chetty of “unprofessional conduct” over his 2021 comments and “aspersions related to the cause of Covid-19”.
The council said Chetty contravened an ethical rule that “indicates that health practitioners should act in the best interests of patients, including the advice they give on public platforms”.
I have treated people around the world, besides educating other doctors. I don’t need the council to validate me as a doctor and healer, they can’t strip away my knowledge.
— Dr Shankara Chetty
HPCSA spokesperson Christopher Tsatsawane said: “The matter of Dr Shankara Chetty is still at the professional conduct inquiry and has not yet been concluded.”
He did not respond to Chetty’s big-pharma allegation.
Venter said he did not want to be drawn further into on the issue, adding “every health worker should be defending vaccines, especially during a measles outbreak”.
Prof Glenda Gray, South African Medical Research Council president and CEO, said: “These vaccines have been given to billions of people worldwide. If there was a safety signal other than those reported it would be evident country by country by now.”
Prof Salim Abdool Karim, former head of the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee, said: “The evidence with regard to vaccines made from spike protein is very clear. It shows they are safe and effective.”
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