Fact-checking more misinformation about Luc Montagnier after his death

On Feb. 8, Nobel Prize-winning French virologist Luc Montagnier died. News reports and obituaries did not give a cause of death for the 89-year-old, but nothing has come out to suggest that the death is suspicious or that foul play was involved. 

Nevertheless, a recent Facebook post suggests that something untoward happened because Montagnier, who helped discover the virus that causes AIDS, made comments critical of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

"Proof that HIV is in the jab," the Feb. 15 post says. "Dr. Montagnier ‘died’ on Feb. 8th… 2 days after exposing this." The post then points to a link to a TikTok video about the vaccine that claims "HIV is PROVEN to be inside of the Devil juice!" 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

First, the COVID-19 vaccines don’t cause AIDS. We’ve previously rated claims that the shots introduce HIV into the body or cause the disease Pants-on-Fire false.

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Second, we looked and found no evidence that Montagnier claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine causes AIDS. (Neither could fact-checkers at Lead Stories.) 

Montagnier was an outspoken opponent of the COVID-19 vaccines, and spread misinformation about them. In May, he falsely claimed that they were causing coronavirus variants.

But he was also the subject of misinformation. That same month, another statement about COVID-19 vaccines killing people was attributed to him, but he didn’t say it. 

It appears he didn’t say the vaccine causes AIDS, either. 

We rate this post Pants on Fire.