The Infodemiology Brief

As summer winds down, vaccine conversations shifted to the new school year and the updated COVID-19 vaccines available this fall. A new CDC report found that non-medical exemptions for routine vaccines rose last school year as childhood immunization rates continue to decline. Parents and other social media users discussed the...

This month, the HHS secretary’s promotion of false and misleading claims about childhood vaccine safety sparked weeks of online debate. In a viral social media post on June 24, the day before CDC vaccine advisors met, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. misrepresented several studies to claim that thimerosal—an ingredient...

This month, changes to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee and updates to the federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations dominated online discussions about vaccines. On June 9, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices just two weeks before the...

Online conversations about vaccines over the last month were colored by recent policy shifts at the Department of Health and Human Services and waning trust in health authorities. HHS’s plans to placebo-test all new vaccines, including updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines, were met with excitement from vaccine opponents and...

This past month, vaccine skeptics ramped up their vaccine opposition as evidence of the deadly effects of anti-vaccine rhetoric grew. Declining vaccine uptake has led to historic outbreaks of measles and whooping cough and contributed to the worst flu season in 16 years. Recent reports of children dying from measles...

Concerns about future vaccine access at the state and federal level circulated online as ongoing measles outbreaks underscored the real-world impact of vaccine hesitancy. Many social media users repeated false claims about measles and MMR vaccines, including myths promoted by high-ranking government officials. State lawmakers introduced bills to restrict mRNA...

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was questioned about his anti-vaccine stances during his senate confirmation hearings for HHS secretary, false narratives about childhood vaccines circulated. Many myths that Kennedy previously promoted resurfaced online, including the false link between childhood vaccines and autism. A non-credible and non-peer-reviewed paper published on a...

In the last month, routine vaccines were subjected to unfounded criticism and false claims from high-profile political figures. President-elect Donald Trump and people affiliated with his proposed health team promoted the myth that childhood vaccines cause autism and questioned the safety of polio vaccines. Meanwhile, Louisiana health officials restricted the...

Over the last month, the results of the U.S. presidential election and the nominees selected for the incoming administration’s health team have dominated online vaccine conversations as high-profile political figures escalated attacks on routine and COVID-19 vaccines. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance claimed on a popular podcast to...

In recent weeks, myths about COVID-19 vaccine safety recirculated online as vaccine opponents targeted vaccines meant for the most vulnerable populations. The CDC’s recommendations for additional immunizations for older and immunocompromised individuals garnered a mixed response online. A non-peer reviewed study was used to falsely claim that only mRNA...