“Paleo” Pete Evans, who is known for his controversial – and often dangerous – views on health and wellness, has endorsed an anti-vaxxer on his Facebook page.

The My Kitchen Rules judge posted a concerning podcast to his 1.5 million viewers titled “Vaccines: life, disability or death?”, with the caption “one of the most important podcasts to listen to”.

“Thanks [podcast host Paul Chek] for asking the questions that need to be asked about vaccines and medicine,” he added, along with a heart and prayer emoji.

In the podcast, Chek alleges nurses used “scare tactics” when advising him to vaccinate his children, claiming there was a “mountain of evidence” to support worrying claims and that people need to stop listening to doctors’ advice on vaccinating their children against dangerous diseases.

Chek is a “holistic wellness” consultant, who studied with Dr Sherri Tenpenny, an osteopath and staunch anti-vaccination campaigner interviewed in the podcast.

Malcolm Turnbull speaks to Mamamia about the troubling rise of anti-vaxxers. Post continues after.

Dr Tenpenny had planned to tour Australia in 2015, however the tour was cancelled following a campaign by pro-vaccination group, Stop the AVN.

Evans’ bold endorsement in support of anti-vaxxing comes after he recently advocated staring into the sun, and claimed that sunscreen is dangerous.

The TV personality’s parenting advice has similarly come under fire in the past after he advised parents to feed their babies a replacement ‘formula’ made of chicken feet broth and liver in a paleo cookbook which was dropped from publishers following safety concerns by federal health officials.

The head of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has responded to his latest endorsement, saying Evans should “stick to cooking”.

AMA president, Dr Tony Bartone, said in a statement; “When it comes to cooking, Pete Evans might be an expert, but his misinformation about vaccination is a recipe for disaster.”

“He should leave the medical advice to the experts and keep quiet about matters he has no skills, experience or expertise in.”

Speaking to Mamamia following Shanelle Cartwright’s admission to not vaccinate her children, Sydney paediatrician Dr Scott Dunlop similarly commented on the dangers of celebrities using their platforms to spread such messages.

“Unfortunately many women (and no doubt men) who follow these [influencers] do actually listen to what they have to say,” said Dr Dunlop.

“It does [scare me]. This is something we see everyday [non-experts giving advice].

“In my practice almost everyday I get someone asking me about something they’ve read on the internet, or something they’ve heard a friend tell them.”

Shanelle, 20, who is married to NRL player Bryce Cartwright, had told her following that she and her husband had done a lot of research, and despite his resistance at first, it was one book by a prominent anti-vax supporter that ultimately changed their opinion.

But Dr Dunlop was quick to impart that there is “no basis in evidence” that vaccinating your children poses any risk to their development.

“The anti-vax movement is just that – an ideological movement that has no basis in evidence, and really involves a minority of the population,” Dr Dunlop said.

The Australian Government highly recommends all children are vaccinated. With programs such as “No Jab, No Play” implemented around the country, state governments have made the importance of vaccinations known in Australian preschools and schools.

Late last year, the World Health Organisation confirmed that the anti-vax movement has prompted a 30 per cent jump in measles cases worldwide.

In New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, unvaccinated children are banned from enrolling in preschool. Approximately one to two per cent of parents in NSW refuse to vaccinate their children.

The latest figures show that overall, more than 94 percent of one-year-olds and five-year-olds are fully immunised.

The Australian Government explains that all vaccines are heavily tested and trialled before they become available to the public. They are also closely monitored for safety by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

In addition to this, the Department of Health has produced a fact sheet which explains where the misunderstanding surrounding vaccinations stemmed from.

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