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A video claiming to be a “banned programme from 2009” has been circulating on Sri Lankan social media, featuring a woman introduced as a doctor alleging that the World Health Organization (WHO) has been secretly developing sterilizing vaccines since 1974, with the goal of reducing the global population by 90%. The video has been widely shared with links to COVID-19 vaccines. Below is our fact-check.
Social Media Posts :
The video was presented as a banned programme, featuring a conversation between a woman described as a doctor and an interviewer. The woman claims she fled the United States for her own safety, that the WHO determined the world’s population was excessive, and that it has been working since 1974 to produce sterilizing vaccines.
She further claims that governments will one day administer mandatory vaccines through which most of the world’s population will die, with survivors left permanently sterilized. Here is how it spread:
Many users commented on the video connecting it to COVID-19 vaccines. We investigated the origin of this video and the accuracy of its claims.
Fact-Check :
Our first step was to identify the source of the footage and determine whether it had actually been banned.
The Video Is From a 2009 American TV Documentary: Not a Banned Programme
Our investigation found that the footage is from “Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura”, a documentary series that aired on the American cable channel truTV in 2009. Specifically, it is from “Secret Societies”, the fifth episode of Season 1, first broadcast on 30 December 2009.
The interviewer is Jesse Ventura, a former Governor of Minnesota. The woman answering is Dr. Rima Laibow, a known promoter of alternative medicine. The full programme is available below.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8790aq
This Programme Was Never Banned
No authority or government has ever banned this programme. It aired normally on truTV and remains available today on major international platforms including Amazon and Prime Video. The full episode can also be watched here, here, here, and here.
Who Is Dr. Rima Laibow?
Laibow is an American physician who graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1970. She served as medical director of an anti-vaccine organization in the United States called Natural Solutions Foundation (NSF). In 2020, the FDA issued a warning to NSF. Following a Department of Justice lawsuit, Laibow and NSF were permanently banned from selling unapproved health products in 2021. Her vaccine-related claims have consistently been found to have no scientific basis by independent investigators. More details are available here, here. Additional sources: DOJ | SourceWatch | Newsweek.
Laibow Was Talking About Swine Flu in 2009 – Not COVID-19
When watched in full, it is clear that Laibow’s claims in this episode relate entirely to Swine Flu (H1N1), which was a pandemic in 2009 and officially ended in August 2010. She claims the swine flu vaccine contains a virus capable of causing permanent sterilization. The video has since been recirculated with COVID-19 framing added by those sharing it.
The Chemical Laibow Refers to Is Squalene
Watching the full programme, the substance Laibow describes as causing permanent sterilization is Squalene, a naturally occurring organic compound found in the human body, in animals (particularly shark livers), and in plants. It has been in use since 1997 as a highly effective adjuvant. It is an immunity-boosting component found in vaccines such as MF59 (Novartis), AS03 (GlaxoSmithKline), and AF03 (Sanofi). Further scientific information on Squalene is available here, here, here, and here.
Squalene is present as an immunity-enhancing adjuvant in some vaccines such as the H5N1 influenza vaccine. However, it is not a component of any COVID-19 vaccine.
The story that Squalene is dangerous originated in the 1990s, when some suggested it caused Gulf War Syndrome in US military personnel. Research including Pellegrini et al. (2010) and multiple subsequent studies found Squalene is not associated with autoimmune diseases. Before recommending H1N1 Squalene-adjuvant vaccines, the WHO reviewed data from over 35,000 volunteers and found no safety concerns. The international organization Science Feedback reviewed the claims in this Ventura episode in 2022 and rated them as “definitively debunked.” Sources: Science Feedback (2022) | PubMed — Pellegrini et al. (2010) | Science Direct — WHO reviewed 35,000+ volunteers.
What the WHO’s Research on Fertility Vaccines Actually Was
In 1972, the WHO established a Special Working Group (HRP) to study whether vaccines could be used for contraception, under the heading of family planning and preventing unwanted pregnancies. The goal of these studies was not mass sterilization. The aim was to develop a contraceptive vaccine that would work for a limited period, similar to birth control pills. The WHO document is available below.
This research is called “immunological birth control,” and it works by temporarily reducing the probability of pregnancy using the body’s immune system. Such vaccines have been tested in animals but have not been approved for human use.
Laibow’s Claim About a World Leader Is Unsupported by Any Evidence
Laibow claims that in 2003, while treating an unnamed head of state at her clinic, that person told her it was “time to exterminate useless people.” No evidence is provided to support this claim. According to available data, the world population in 1974 was approximately four billion. By 2003, when Laibow claims this conversation took place, it had reached 6.4 billion. It grew to 6.9 billion in 2009 and has since surpassed eight billion in 2026. The world population has grown continuously, not declined.
Also Read: FACT CHECK: Does the Covid vaccination cause infertility?
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Conclusion :
Our investigation confirms that the video circulating on social media, claiming the WHO had a plan to reduce the world population by 90% through vaccines, is misleading. The footage is from a 2009 American entertainment documentary that was never banned. The claims are made by Rima Laibow, an alternative medicine promoter whose organisation was permanently banned by the US Department of Justice in 2021.
No COVID-19 vaccine contains Squalene. Squalene does not cause infertility, a finding confirmed by reviews of over 35,000 clinical volunteers. No vaccine has been linked to causing infertility. The world population has grown continuously, passing eight billion, with no evidence of any reduction. Laibow’s claim of a private conversation with a world leader is entirely without evidence.
Title: A “Banned 2009 Programme” Claiming WHO Planning to Reduce the World Population Through Vaccines? Find out the facts…
Written By: B.P. Hansani
Result: Misleading
