Anti-vaccine pediatrician spreads false claims about RSV immunization
A Spanish pediatrician made a video series spreading false claims about mRNA and RSV vaccines and antibody treatments. In the video, the doctor falsely claims that antibodies and vaccines against RSV are not safe and recommends good nutrition and vitamin C to prevent bronchiolitis (which is often caused by RSV) in children, instead of antibodies or vaccination.
Recommendation: Because RSV vaccines are new, false information about them may undermine the public’s perception of vaccine safety and may promote distrust in guidance from public health officials. These false claims also promote unproven RSV prevention methods. Ensuring that community-based organizations and other partners have updated FAQs and one pagers with messaging about the importance of RSV vaccines and preventive antibodies is recommended. Messaging may emphasize that RSV is one of the leading causes of hospitalization in babies, which is why the CDC now recommends an RSV preventive antibody for babies and some young children and an RSV vaccine for pregnant people.