After Philadelphia's mayor proposed cutting funding for the city’s syringe services programs (SSPs), the CDC sent a letter to the director of the Penn Center for AIDS Research warning that cutting funding to SSPs could result in an HIV outbreak. In response to a social media post...
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines stating that HIV-positive birthing parents can safely breastfeed if they are undergoing antiretroviral treatment and their viral load is undetectable. In response to news articles about these guidelines, some social media users claimed that breastfeeding as an HIV-positive birthing parent is “not...
A preprint study authored by several known opponents of the COVID-19 vaccines claims to have found an association between an increase in COVID-19 vaccinations and an increase in cardiac arrest (when the heart suddenly stops functioning, causing loss of consciousness and breathing) deaths in King County, Washington. As of June...
Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams shared a social media post using the pertussis outbreak in Kentucky to illustrate the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. Some social media users who commented on the post argued that practices such as covering coughs and taking vitamins are sufficient to prevent the spread...
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are developing an mRNA vaccine for the H5N1 bird flu. The vaccine—which was tested in mice and ferrets but has not yet gone through clinical trials—could help manage the bird flu outbreak in birds and cattle and prevent human infections. In response...
Several popular vaccine opponents are repeating the old myth that COVID-19 vaccines and other routine immunizations are linked to autism, citing rising autism diagnoses since the 1970s. Many of the posts blame the addition of new vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, to the childhood immunization schedule. Others claim that there is...
A viral post claims that the Mayo Clinic rejected a lung transplant patient until they received COVID-19 vaccination. Although the original post criticized the policy, a majority of the responses questioned why anyone would trust doctors to transplant organs and provide lifelong post-transplant care but not to advise on pre-transplant...
A preprint Oxford University study examined outcomes after Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination among children and adolescents in the U.K. The study found that incidents of heart inflammation (myocarditis and pericarditis) were only reported in vaccinated participants, leading vaccine opponents to falsely claim that heart inflammation only occurs after COVID-19 vaccination,...
In May, Wisconsin health officials reinstituted a meningitis vaccine requirement for students entering 7th grade and a booster for students entering 12th grade. The requirement will take effect in the 2024-25 school year. In response to recent news articles about the vaccine requirement, some social media users are expressing gratitude...
Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams shared a social media post using the pertussis outbreak in Kentucky to illustrate the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. Some social media users who commented on the post argued that practices such as covering coughs and taking vitamins are sufficient to prevent the spread...
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