claim: COVID-19 vaccines cause leprosy
evidence: Many of the people posting about this shared an article from The Epoch Times, which The New York Times has called a "leading purveyor of right-wing misinformation." The headline on the article read, "Growing number of leprosy cases reported after COVID-19 vaccination," and the newspaper reported that researchers in the U.K. said two cases of leprosy could have been caused by the vaccine. Additionally, the article said, "At least 14 other cases of leprosy or a leprosy reaction within 14 days of COVID-19 vaccination have been reported in the literature, including eight in India." Under X’s new policy that allows readers to challenge controversial claims, a follow-up post was added that said, "COVID vaccines do not cause leprosy. The study does NOT show that COVID-19 vaccination causes leprosy, or reduces a person’s immunity and makes it easier to get leprosy. Study participants already had been infected with leprosy months or years before COVID-19 vaccinations." [...] It’s easy to see how people skimming headlines could make that association. Conduct an internet search for "leprosy" and "COVID vaccines" and you’ll find studies that have been published about how the vaccine could affect people who already have Hansen’s disease.