Vaccines

False claims circulate about COVID-19 vaccines and dementia

In trending conversations this week, fearmongering about pediatric vaccine safety on the rise as measles outbreaks in the Northwest and Midwest sparked false claims.

False claims circulate about COVID-19 vaccines and dementia

False claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety dominated national vaccine conversations in the past week, with some high-profile social media users linking previously debunked claims to recent events. Most recently, vaccine opponents have falsely claimed that RSV and COVID-19 immunizations are killing young children, warning parents to avoid all vaccines. Meanwhile, some social media users, including a member of Congress, claimed without evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause cognitive decline in older adults. 

Regionally, measles cases in the Northeast and Midwest sparked discussions online. Read on for more.

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In a viral post on July 11, a U.S. congressperson claimed, without evidence, that President Biden’s alleged cognitive decline is the result of a COVID-19 vaccine injury. Several vaccine opponents added to the conspiracy theory, falsely claiming that COVID-19 vaccines cause or accelerate dementia and neurodegeneration. Some posts suggested that other older public figures who appeared to experience cognitive decline were also vaccine-injured. But despite the news cycle driving the latest theories, these false claims aren’t new; baseless attempts to link COVID-19 vaccines to neurodegenerative disease have circulated for at least three years. 

The tragic reported deaths of two infants is being falsely linked without evidence to pediatric RSV immunization, an antibody treatment for babies and young children. According to VAERS reports, the infants died after being mistakenly given an adult RSV vaccine. The CDC previously alerted health care providers to take measures to avoid giving children an RSV immunization intended for adults. On July 8, an article on a prominent anti-vaccine website falsely suggested that the infants died after receiving the pediatric RSV immunization rather than the adult vaccine. The article baselessly implies that the pediatric dose, which the two infants did not receive, is dangerous, which is not true. Vaccine opponents are circulating the article and falsely claiming that the pediatric immunization is unsafe for infants. Some posts argue that parents shouldn’t trust pediatricians who encourage vaccinations, while others demand that pediatric RSV immunization be taken off the childhood schedule.  

Pediatric COVID-19 vaccines have also been the subject of safety myths this week, as social media posts in English and Spanish resurfaced the debunked claim that the vaccines are killing children. Several variations of conversations are circulating, including the false claim that children are 137 times more likely to die from the vaccine than from COVID-19. One post claims, without evidence, that unexplained deaths in children have increased by 3,000 percent since the vaccine rollout. Another post misrepresented U.K. data to falsely claim that vaccinated children are 45 times more likely than unvaccinated children to die of any cause. A common false narrative in these posts is that COVID-19 vaccines are more of a threat to children than COVID-19, despite significant evidence of the dangers of COVID-19 and the safety of vaccines. 

Read the fact checks

What’s happening in the Northeast:

On July 13, New York City health officials reported two measles cases at a shelter for migrants and refugees. The affected individuals and dozens of exposed people without immunity will be quarantined for 21 days. Some social media accounts used the news to promote false narratives about migrants spreading disease.

What’s happening in the South:

A local news station in Lafayette, Louisiana, promoted the “Shots for Tots” vaccine campaign, an annual event to boost immunization among preschool-age children. The event drew backlash from social media users who suggested the organization “can keep your vaccines” and repeated the long-debunked myth that vaccines cause autism.

What’s happening in the Midwest:

Following confirmation of Michigan’s sixth measles case this year in Macomb County, some took to social media to falsely suggest that the MMR vaccine is ineffective and linked to autism. Some posts dismissed measles as a normal childhood disease and a “rite of passage,” while others blamed immigrants for recent outbreaks. Much of the trending conversations ignored that measles is a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease.

What’s happening in the West:

A Nevada nonprofit aiming to improve vaccination rates in the state reportedly failed to meet its financial obligations, costing its partner, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, nearly half a million dollars. The university has since ended the collaboration and is working with the state to recoup costs. State health officials continue to encourage vaccination through interim initiatives in the state, which ranks 44th in the nation in immunization rates. The story is circulating with limited reach in English and Spanish with some calling for greater oversight of state programs.

Check out more data on trends in vaccine narratives

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Talking points for Health Care Providers

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. 

COVID-19 vaccines are not linked to dementia or other cognitive issues—but COVID-19 infection is.

  • COVID-19 infection can impact your brain, causing “brain fog,” which affects your ability to think, concentrate, and remember normally. Additionally, there is evidence that in older adults, COVID-19 can significantly impair thinking and memory and may even worsen dementia symptoms.
  • COVID-19 vaccines aren’t linked to brain disorders like dementia, contrary to baseless claims that have persisted for years. 
  • COVID-19 vaccines are the best protection against severe illness, hospitalization, long COVID, and death.

RSV immunizations have been rigorously tested and found to be safe for infants, who are at high risk of severe illness and death from the disease.

  • The claim that pediatric RSV immunization harmed infants is false and based on a misrepresentation of unverified reports to the federal vaccine monitoring system. The deaths were not linked to the pediatric RSV immunization but to the infants receiving the wrong RSV vaccine due to a tragic medical error. 
  • The CDC monitors vaccination administration errors and warned health care professionals in January about potentially confusing the different RSV immunizations meant for young children, pregnant people, and older adults. 
  • The pediatric RSV immunization is safe, and no deaths or other safety concerns were reported in clinical trials. 
  • Each year, RSV hospitalizes tens of thousands of children and kills hundreds of children under 5. Immunization is about 80 percent effective against severe illness and almost 100 percent effective against hospitalization.

COVID-19 vaccination is safe for children as young as 6 months and is the best protection against severe illness and long COVID.