Conversations minimize the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases

This week, social media users dismissed measles and whooping cough deaths while falsely linking a group of nurses’ brain tumors to COVID-19 vaccines.

This week, reports of three vaccine-preventable deaths in children were met with skepticism and false claims. A second Texas child died from measles, prompting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to explicitly recommend the MMR vaccine. Many vaccine opponents expressed outrage at the “betrayal” from Kennedy, who has falsely claimed in the past that the vaccine is linked to autism and other health conditions. Louisiana health officials confirmed that two Louisiana infants died from whooping cough in the last six months, leading some to spread myths about the DTAP vaccine. Meanwhile, vaccine opponents alleged without evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are somehow linked to the brain tumors several nurses who work in the same hospital unit developed. Conspiracy theories about the cases are circulating rapidly across social media and anti-vaccine sites.

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What’s trending in vaccine conversation:

On April 6, Texas health officials announced that a second unvaccinated and otherwise healthy child died from measles. With 675 cases reported, this year has surpassed the 2014 outbreak as the second worst in the U.S. in 25 years and may surpass the 2019 outbreak that infected over 1,200 people. The HHS secretary visited the county and issued his strongest statement yet in support of the MMR vaccine. The statement drew harsh criticism online from vaccine opponents, who accused Kennedy of being “compromised” and of betraying his ideals. Notably, in a later post, Kennedy again promoted budesonide and clarithromycin, neither of which is proven effective against measles. Some argued without evidence that the child’s death was due to medical malpractice or underlying health issues, while others minimized the death and accused the media of fearmongering. Several posts promoted conspiracy theories about vaccines, claiming that the death was linked to MMR or COVID-19 vaccines and that the MMR vaccine is ineffective and unsafe. Vaccine opponents claim that the case of a Pima County, New Mexico, child who developed a rash after receiving the MMR vaccine and is now “on the mend” is evidence that the vaccine is dangerous, claiming that the “risk of permanent disability or death” from vaccination is higher than from measles, mumps, and rubella. One popular anti-vaccine account falsely claimed that measles is “just a rash” that has never killed a child who isn’t already malnourished. Posts also suggested that natural immunity and alternative remedies like vitamin A are superior to vaccination. Other online conversations discussed whether adults should get boosters or titer testing to determine their immunity to measles and the impact of federal funding cuts on measles vaccination efforts in affected states.

In late March, the Louisiana surgeon general announced that two children in the state died of whooping cough (pertussis) in the last six months, and 110 cases have been reported so far this year. The announcement came a month after the state suspended all vaccine events and barred state health officials from promoting vaccinations. Whooping cough cases in 2024 were the highest in over a decade, and this year, nearly four times as many cases have been reported compared to the same time last year. Some social media users speculated that the number of cases is likely higher than reported and criticized parents who don’t vaccinate their children. Other posts advocated for a standalone vaccine for people who want to avoid the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis combination vaccine, while others questioned DTAP’s safety and effectiveness. Several commenters expressed concern about getting DTAP during pregnancy.

In late March, reports began circulating that as many as 10 nurses working in the same maternity ward at a Massachusetts hospital were diagnosed with brain tumors. The hospital has since confirmed that five nurses in the unit were diagnosed with benign brain tumors and six others have unspecified health concerns. The hospital’s medical officers said that an internal investigation “found no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor.” Soon after the cases were reported in local media, vaccine opponents began spreading the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 vaccines caused the tumors. The false rumor is now spreading across multiple social media platforms, with some claiming without evidence that the nurses received vaccines from the same batch and that cancer is a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines. Many commenters, including some vaccine skeptics, noted that most hospital staff are likely vaccinated, making it extremely unlikely that a health concern only affecting nurses in one unit was vaccine-related. Some posts speculated that environmental factors such as radiation poisoning are more likely to blame.

Read the fact checks: 

• IDSA: Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts 
• Public Good News: Vaccines and cancer: The myth that won’t die
• NFID: Whooping Cough (Pertussis) 

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Recommendations 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. 

The ongoing measles outbreak in the U.S. highlights the importance of vaccines and community immunity. Talking points may continue to highlight the severity of measles and the risk it poses, especially to unvaccinated children. Messaging may emphasize the MMR vaccine’s safety and effectiveness and that it is the only way to prevent measles. Remedies like vitamins, cod liver oil, and budesonide have not been proven effective against measles and are not vaccine substitutes.

Vaccine opponents frequently use active outbreaks to spread false claims about vaccine safety and effectiveness. Prebunking messaging may explain that whooping cough is an extremely contagious and potentially deadly disease that causes complications in two-thirds of affected infants. Messaging may also emphasize that the DTAP vaccine is effective and safe for infants and pregnant people.

Anti-vaccine advocates have spent decades attempting to link various vaccines to cancer with no evidence. Debunking messaging may explain that over four years of research and safety monitoring worldwide show no link between COVID-19 vaccines and cancer. Messaging may also emphasize that turbo cancer isn’t real. The term was made up by anti-vaccine advocates and is not accepted by medical professionals.

Interested in recommendations tailored to health care providers? Click here.