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...
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...
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,...
A Utah woman who claims she became disabled after participating in AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine trial is suing AstraZeneca. She claims that the company breached its contract by failing to adequately cover the medical expenses associated with her alleged vaccine injury. After the New York Post covered this woman’s...
Last week, a “health freedom” group in Michigan shared a social media post claiming, without evidence, that a 17-year-old girl died shortly after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Comments on the post express concerns about vaccine mandates for students. One social media user wrote, “They are still requiring healthy young kids...
Louisiana recently passed a bill that would ban the World Health Organization, United Nations, and World Economic Forum from having “any jurisdiction or power” within the state. Some social media users and “health freedom” groups are hoping that this bill will prevent Louisiana from being affected by the WHO pandemic...
A new JAMA study found that COVID-19 remains deadlier than the flu, with 35 percent higher mortality in hospitalized patients between October 2023 and March 2024. Although the overall risk of death from COVID-19 has declined over time, it is still “substantially higher” than the risk of death from the...
Last week, a New York-based social media user with a large following shared a viral series of posts celebrating the importance of vaccines. She wrote that she once contracted whooping cough as an adult after her childhood whooping cough vaccine wore off. Her 2 misdiagnosed her with asthma, which resulted...
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