The death of three-year-old Theo Emm was not linked to any Covid-19 vaccine

A claim that a “vaxed” three-year-old boy died suddenly from a cardiac arrest has accrued attention from thousands of users on Twitter.

Self-proclaimed “truth-teller” and “critical thinker” Steve Kirsch quote-tweeted another user posting an article on MSN on the death of Theo Emm, who collapsed at his home in Wiltshire on February 18.

“Unvaxed 3 year olds never die from cardiac arrest. The silence from the medical community is inexcusable,” Mr Kirsch said, picking up over 11,000 likes and more than 670,000 views on the platform while implying the child’s death may have been linked to the Covid-19 vaccination.

Evaluation: False

Mr Kirsch’s implication is not founded in fact.

Theo Emm would not have been allowed a Covid-19 vaccine as a three-year-old in the UK. He died after catching Strep A.

The facts

The articles on Theo’s sudden collapse, including in the Daily Express and on MSN via the Daily Mail, explicitly state that his death occurred as a result of contracting Strep A.

There is no mention of Theo being vaccinated or unvaccinated in the reports.

The vast majority of infections are relatively mild, but the NHS says bacteria can cause iGAS, a life-threatening infection in which the bacteria has invaded parts of the body such as the blood, deep muscle or lungs.

Official NHS guidance confirms only those aged over five are permitted to receive a first and second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in the UK, making it highly unlikely he was “vaxed”.

Mr Kirsch’s tweet, and others like it such as those from the account he originally quote-tweeted here, reference the sudden cardiac arrest Theo suffered as unusual, but the phenomenon is well-documented in medical research long before the development of any Covid-19 vaccine. This one, published in 2012, can be found on the website of the American Academy of Paediatrics.

Links

Steve Kirsch’s tweet (archived)

Profile page of Twitter account making the claim (archived)

MSN article on the death of Theo Emm (archived)

The Daily Express article (archived)

The Daily Mail article (archived)

NHS guidance on Strep A (archived)

NHS guidance on iGAS (archived)

NHS guidance on Covid-19 vaccinations and age groups (archived)

Tweet from another anti-vaccination account, Vince Clements (archived)

Article on Paediatric Sudden Cardiac Arrest from the American Academy of Paediatrics (archived)

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