Online concern about bird flu ramps up after U.S. election

This week, vaccine opponents again attempted to link COVID-19 vaccines to “turbo cancer” and blood clots. Regional conversations discussed vaccine mandate exemptions and whooping cough.

Concerns about a potential bird flu pandemic circulated online this week as myths about COVID-19 vaccine safety resurfaced. In the wake of the U.S. presidential election, some social media users shared their fears—and conspiracy theories—about the U.S.’s current and future handling of bird flu. Meanwhile, a group of vaccine opponents published a study using VAERS data to falsely claim that COVID-19 vaccines cause a massive increase in brain blood clots, and false claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety circulated in multiple languages.

Regional posts focused on religious exemptions to employer and medical vaccine requirements, Washington state’s whooping cough outbreak, and dozens of monkeys that escaped a South Carolina research facility.

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What’s trending nationally in vaccine conversation:

Shortly after the U.S. presidential election, the CDC posted about symptoms of H5N1, or bird flu, prompting some social media users to speculate that the agency is forecasting a bird flu pandemic. Several trending posts from pro-vaccine accounts claimed that the CDC “has rapidly” changed its messaging by warning about symptoms instead of emphasizing the relatively low human risk. A narrative has emerged online that this perceived change in messaging is a sign that the bird flu virus is spreading faster than the public is aware and that the CDC waited until people were “distracted” by the election to issue new warnings. One popular post falsely claimed that “the CDC quietly announced H5N1 has likely gone human-to-human transmission.” Meanwhile, reports of Canada’s first suspected human bird flu case stoked fears further, with some commenters pleading with the CDC director to stop “downplaying” bird flu before an “anti-science/anti-health” administration takes over. A former U.S. surgeon general expressed concern that Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine campaign, Make America Healthy Again, might derail efforts to prevent a bird flu pandemic. A general fear that the incoming Trump administration will severely restrict access to or outright ban vaccines of all kinds is circulating online. 

A study published last week falsely claims that “brain clots are 112,000% more likely after COVID-19 vaccination than flu vaccination” and that COVID-19 vaccines are “20,700% more likely to cause brain clots than all vaccines combined.” The study, which was published in a journal that has been flagged as predatory, relies entirely on unverified Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System reports of cerebral thromboembolism, a rare blood clot in the brain, to draw this conclusion. The study’s authors are well-known vaccine opponents, including one whose company sells vaccine “detox” products. After sharing the study on social media, one of the authors called for “an immediate global moratorium on the use of COVID-19 vaccines.” 

Trending social media posts in English and Spanish are promoting the debunked claim that COVID-19 vaccines are responsible for an alarming rise in aggressive, late-stage cancer diagnoses in young people. Some of the claims are in response to an actor who recently revealed his colorectal cancer diagnosis. As with previous claims about high-profile illnesses and deaths, there is no evidence to suggest that the actor’s condition is related to any vaccine. Many posts  repeated conspiracy theories about “toxic” vaccine ingredients and COVID-19 vaccines causing so-called turbo cancer. A popular anti-vaccine social media account shared a video that claims without evidence that there is a rise in teenage girls with stage 4 cancer. Another post claimed that COVID-19 vaccines are “all risk and zero reward.”

Read the fact checks: 

• Today: Will bird flu be the next pandemic and could it cause a lockdown? What experts say 
• University at Buffalo: Big data study refutes anti-vax blood clot claims about COVID-19 vaccines 
• Public Good News: No, COVID-19 vaccines don’t cause ‘turbo cancer’ 

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What’s happening in the Northeast:

A “health freedom” group posted online about a 9-year-old New Jersey boy whose kidney transplant was delayed because his parents refused COVID-19 vaccination on “religious grounds.” The child has reportedly undergone the procedure after a doctor in Pennsylvania agreed to perform the surgery. The post received nearly 80,000 engagements, with people celebrating the victory and accusing doctors who refused him of violating their oath. Some commenters called COVID-19 vaccines “untested,” “fraudulent,” and “poison.”

What’s happening in the South:

On November 6, 43 rhesus macaques escaped from a South Carolina research facility, prompting local authorities to urge residents to secure their homes and assure the public that the monkeys pose no health risk to humans. As of November 14, 35 of the monkeys have been recovered, and eight remain loose near the facility. The incident sparked widespread debate about animal research on social media, with many criticizing the use of animals for research and others raising concerns about potentially risky medical research. Some of the posts expressed fears about a lab leak-related pandemic and speculated that the release might have been deliberate to introduce a new disease for mass vaccination. Other posts explained the importance of rhesus macaques in medical research, highlighting their role in the development of vaccines and treatments for infections, diabetes, and cancer. 

What’s happening in the Midwest:

A Detroit federal court awarded over $12 million to a former IT specialist at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, who was fired after refusing a COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons. The jury ruled that the company discriminated against the employee, who worked remotely during the pandemic, by denying her request for a religious exemption. The verdict was widely celebrated on social media by “health freedom” groups, who view the case as a “great precedent.” However, some social media users expressed concern about the broader implications of the ruling and questioned what can be claimed as a sincerely held religious belief.

What’s happening in the West:

The Washington Department of Health warned residents about a dramatic increase in whooping cough cases in the state. As of November 2, the state has reported 1,193 cases, compared to only 51 cases at this time last year. More than 80 percent of the cases have been in children. Several local media outlets reported on the rise in cases, prompting some social media users, including health professionals, to share their experience with the illness. Many posts encouraged vaccination, but some argued that  COVID-19 vaccines have damaged people’s trust in other vaccines, resulting in a decrease in vaccine uptake.

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Recommendations for public health professionals

Each week the Infodemiology.com team will provide messaging recommendations in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. These helpful tips can be used when creating content, updating web pages and FAQs, and to inform strategy for messaging about vaccines.  

The narrative that the CDC can’t be trusted to prioritize public health has become increasingly common among social media users who are generally pro-vaccine. Messaging may explain that although bird flu remains an important public health issue, there is currently little risk to humans who are not in direct contact with infected animals. Talking points may emphasize that 46 cases have been detected in humans in the U.S. since the beginning of the year, and there is no current evidence of human-to-human transmission, which is extremely rare. 

Vaccine opponents frequently misuse VAERS data to spread false and misleading narratives about vaccine safety. VAERS and similar systems allow anyone to submit unverified reports of vaccine injuries or side effects. Real-world data has repeatedly shown COVID-19 vaccines to be safe and serious adverse reactions to be extremely rare. COVID-19 infection is far more likely to cause blood clots than COVID-19 vaccination.

As false and misleading narratives about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines have become widespread and embraced by high-profile political figures, belief in this myth may likely increase. Over four years of scientific research and rigorous safety monitoring show no association between any COVID-19 vaccine and cancer diagnosis, progression, recurrence, or death. Claims that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause or accelerate cancer are an anti-vaccine myth. Moreover, turbo cancer is not a real condition or a term accepted by medical professionals. Anti-vaccine activists have attempted to link vaccines to cancer for decades with no evidence to back up their claims.

Interested in recommendations tailored to health care providers? Click here.