Anti-vaccine claims circulate during HHS secretary hearings

This week, myths about childhood and COVID-19 vaccine safety resurfaced online while regional posts discussed TB and measles outbreaks and an mRNA vaccine ban.

This week, online vaccine conversations were once again dominated by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s HHS secretary confirmation hearings. Viral posts in multiple languages resurfaced long-debunked myths about childhood vaccines and a bigoted conspiracy theory about the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, popular social media posts launched discussions about the safety of childhood immunizations and the disproven link between COVID-19 vaccines and cancer. 

Regional conversations focused on tuberculosis and measles outbreaks in multiple states, a proposed ban on mRNA vaccines, and flu vaccine requirements for nurses.

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What’s trending nationally in vaccine conversation:

Last week’s Senate confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparked widespread social media coverage. Some posts highlighted the many false and anti-science statements Kennedy made in the past and during the hearing, including promoting the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 “is targeted to attack” certain ethnic groups and that Ashkenazi Jewish and Chinese people are immune. Kennedy also claimed—without evidence—that Black children should be on a different vaccine schedule than other children and falsely suggested that there isn’t enough evidence that childhood vaccines don’t cause autism. Posts supporting Kennedy falsely claimed that MMR and hepatitis B vaccines are linked to a rise in autism in Black children and suggested that children receive too many vaccinations. Others argued that despite leading one of the most prominent anti-vaccine organizations in the country, Kennedy is not opposed to vaccines. 

Various false and misleading claims about COVID-19 vaccines and cancer are circulating online in English and Spanish this week. A physician with a history of promoting anti-vaccine claims alleged that a month after getting an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, a patient’s cancer progressed to stage 4. The post included no evidence to support the claim. Several responses to the post insisted that COVID-19 vaccines caused aggressive cancers in loved ones, while others claimed that all vaccines cause cancer. Several posts promoted the conspiracy theory that cancer didn’t exist before the first vaccines were developed.

In a January 30 post in a parenting forum, a mother asked for assistance in understanding claims about vaccine safety that she saw online. The poster states that she and her baby received all recommended immunizations, but a surge in social media posts claiming that childhood vaccines are unsafe made her concerned about her baby’s upcoming 6-month vaccinations. The thread received dozens of responses reassuring the mother that childhood vaccines are safe and encouraged her to stay off of social media and speak with her pediatrician about her concerns. Several commenters explained that mild side effects are expected after vaccination but that vaccines are well-tested and safe. One commenter falsely claimed that we don’t know the long-term safety effects of childhood vaccines and another suggested the mother “do her own research” about vaccines.  

Read the fact checks: 

• AAP: All About the Recommended Immunization Schedules
• Public Good News: Vaccines and cancer: The myth that won’t die
• Nemours KidsHealth: Common Questions About Vaccines (for Parents)

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What’s happening in the Northeast:

A recent post by a New Jersey-based social media account claims that nurses are protesting the state’s flu vaccination requirements for health care workers. The post offers no additional information or evidence of a protest. Several posts questioned why nurses should be required to be vaccinated against a potentially deadly and highly infectious disease, while others argued that flu shots are unsafe and unnecessary. One post falsely claimed that flu vaccines are mRNA-based.

What’s happening in the South:

Since the beginning of the year, Texas has reported four measles cases and Georgia has reported one, all in unvaccinated individuals. Health officials in both states emphasized the importance of vaccination. MMR immunization rates in both states are below the herd immunity threshold. Many social media users expressed frustration at the resurgence of “old diseases” due to vaccine refusal. Some posts downplayed the severity of measles, claimed that “natural immunity” is superior to vaccination, and revealed a misunderstanding of community immunity by arguing that vaccinated individuals shouldn’t care about other people’s vaccination status.

What’s happening in the Midwest:

On January 31, an active tuberculosis case was confirmed in Kalamazoo, Michigan. County health officials are contact tracing and offering free TB testing for those who were potentially exposed. The case, along with Kansas’s historic TB outbreak, led some on social media to question if the TB immunization efforts in the U.S. need to be updated. Several users expressed doubt that the state and national public health infrastructures are equipped to handle a major TB outbreak. A few posts claimed without evidence that immigrants are responsible for the outbreaks. 

What’s happening in the West:

An Idaho state senator introduced a bill to ban “gene therapy products” in the state for the next 10 years. The proposed bill specifically targets mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, which are not gene therapy, but includes exceptions for actual gene therapies for cancer and genetic disorders. A “health freedom” organization shared local news coverage of the bill on social media. Some commenters supported the bill, falsely claiming that COVID-19 vaccines were not properly tested and that the vaccines injured many people. 

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Talking points for health care providers to use in response to trending narratives

Each week the Infodemiology.com team will provide talking points and supporting messages in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. Health care providers can use this messaging when discussing vaccines online, talking to patients, or engaging with communities.

Vaccines are safe and have been protecting children for over a century.

• The anti-vaccine movement has been promoting myths about childhood vaccine safety and the recommended immunization schedule for decades. Don’t let that stop you from protecting your child by getting them vaccinated. 
• We know that vaccines are safe because every childhood vaccine has been thoroughly tested and monitored, many for several decades. 
• Immunizations keep your children, families, and communities safe by preventing the spread of debilitating and deadly diseases.

Billions of people all over the world safely received COVID-19 vaccines. There is not a single piece of evidence linking these vaccines to cancer.

• Vaccine opponents began claiming without evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer before the vaccines were even authorized. 
• Four years of extensive research have shown that there is no link between the COVID-19 vaccines—or any vaccine—and cancer.
• COVID-19 vaccination protects against severe illness, death, and long COVID.

Anti-vaccine advocates specifically target parents with false claims to make them doubt the safety of vaccines.

• Vaccines go through years of rigorous safety testing, including clinical trials, before they are approved. 
• Childhood vaccines have kept children safe for generations. 
• Vaccines are very safe. Your child is far more likely to be harmed by a vaccine-preventable disease than by a vaccine.

Interested in recommendations tailored to public health professionals? Click here.