Pete Evans shared a controversial petition on his Instagram account. Photo / Instagram
Pete Evans shared a controversial petition on his Instagram account. Photo / Instagram
He's already been handed a $25,000 fine for coronavirus eradication claims. Now the dumped My Kitchen Rules judge has turned his concerns to flu vaccines.
Pete Evans insists he's not an anti-vaxxer but has shared a link to a petition calling for Australians to stop being "medicated" by flu vaccinations on his social media.
The celebrity chef has taken to Instagram to share an "urgent" message to his followers.
Evans – who recently made headlines for sharing bizarre coronavirus theories – shared a link to a petition to "stop coercion of Australians to be medicated with influenza vaccinations".
His claims are not supported by health experts - in New Zealand the Ministry of Health recommend Kiwis get the annual flu vaccine and offer it for free to people who are "vulnerable and most likely to get more severe symptoms".
"I have been sent so many messages about this subject in the last few days and heard such heart breaking stories," Evans wrote.
"If you feel it in your heart to say what you feel, then a petition has been released with federal parliament to stop the mandatory injection for nursing home visitors.
"There are apparently studies linking the flu injection to an increased possibility of other illnesses. Someone may like to produce that evidence if there is any below in the comments?"
He said for the record, he had signed and supported this petition.
"Also for the record I am not anti v (anti-vax) as many people have assumed," he said.
Evans ended the post saying, "I send love to you all, regardless of what your beliefs are. #healthfreedom".
Earlier this month the government introduced new rules that stipulate visitors to aged care homes across Australia will need to have had a flu vaccination to enter.
Pete Evans shared a controversial petition on his Instagram account. Photo / Instagram
The petition, which has more than 12,300 signatures, says the medication has not been tested for the potential to cause cancer, genetic mutations, and fertility impairment.
"These severe health issues are on the rise in Australia alongside our ever-increasing use of this medical product … we believe this group of people is being coerced to take part in a medical experiment," it says.
There have been large outbreaks of coronavirus in Australia's care homes, one of them Newmarch House in western Sydney where there have been 89 cases and 18 deaths.
Evans – who was recently axed from Channel Seven's My Kitchen Rules – was last month slapped with $25,000 in fines for coronavirus eradication claims he made about a "BioCharger" device he promoted on Facebook.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) issued two infringement notices to the controversial health guru after receiving complaints about his promotion of the $14,990 machine.
In his posts about coronavirus, Evans shared a detailed list which urged people to "look out for" certain code words and implied "mass trials" and "executions" were happening behind closed doors.
It prompted president of the Royal Australian College of GPs Dr Harry Nespolon to urge Evans to seek help.
Actress Isabel Lucas commented on Evans' latest post that she had signed the petition, as did surfer Taj Burrow.
Others were not so keen.
"We've just seen what happens to the world without vaccines. Why would anyone sign this?" wrote one woman, who was met with a barrage of criticism for the comment.
The New Zealand Ministry of Health recommend Kiwis get the annual flu vaccine and offer it for free to people who are "vulnerable and most likely to get more severe symptoms".
• People aged 65 and over. • Pregnant women. • People with certain long-term conditions and illnesses such as diabetes. • Children aged 4 years or under who have needed to stay in hospital for severe respiratory illness or children aged 5 years or under who have needed to stay in hospital with measles.
