Vaccines

False claims circulate about COVID-19 vaccines and dementia

False claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety dominated national vaccine conversation 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 are sparking 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 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 confusing RSV immunizations that are approved for different age groups. 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 claimed based 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 dismiss measles as a normal childhood disease and a “rite of passage,” while others blame immigrants for recent outbreaks. Much of the trending conversation 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

Recommendations brought to you by the health communication experts behind Infodemiology.com.

Talking points 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.

Claims about alleged adverse effects of vaccines may increase hesitancy. Debunking messaging may emphasize that there is no evidence linking COVID-19 vaccines to cognitive issues or dementia, contrary to persistent baseless claims. Messaging may also highlight the evidence that COVID-19 infection can affect brain function and, in older adults, can significantly impair cognition and memory. Continuing to emphasize that COVID-19 vaccines are the best protection against severe illness, hospitalization, long COVID, and death is recommended.

The claim that pediatric RSV immunization caused infant deaths is false and based on a misleading report on an anti-vaccine website. Debunking messaging may explain that the deaths reportedly occurred as a result of the infants having been mistakenly given adult vaccines, a medical error that was monitored by the CDC. Messaging may also emphasize that no deaths have been linked to pediatric RSV immunization, which was found to be safe in clinical trials, with no safety concerns reported. Emphasizing that infants and children under 5 are at high risk from RSV, which hospitalizes up to 80,000 children and kills hundreds of children each year, is recommended, as is highlighting that immunization is about 80 percent effective against severe illness and 98 percent effective against hospitalization.

Conversations about pediatric vaccine safety also allow an opportunity to explain to the public that although children are at lower risk from COVID-19 than adults, the disease still poses a threat. Talking points may emphasize that COVID-19 killed over 1,600 children in the U.S. and was a leading cause of pediatric deaths throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Messaging may explain that death is not the only negative outcome of COVID-19 in children: COVID-19 infections also carry the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and long COVID. Finally, highlighting that COVID-19 vaccination is safe for children as young as 6 months is recommended, as is explaining that the vaccines have been safely administered to over 30 million children in the U.S., with no evidence of widespread safety concerns.