HHS plan to placebo-test vaccines sparks controversy

Posts discuss pediatric flu deaths and vaccine hesitancy.

This week, online vaccine conversations were dominated by an HHS announcement requiring that all new vaccines be tested in placebo-controlled trials. While vaccine opponents cheered the announcement, critics noted the potential ethical and accessibility issues that may arise. Meanwhile, posts debated the necessity of flu vaccines for children as pediatric flu deaths reached a 15-year high and circulated the myth that the MMR vaccine contains “aborted fetus debris.”

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What’s trending in vaccine conversation:

On April 30, HHS announced that it will require all new vaccines to undergo placebo-controlled trials, sparking debate about the ethics of placebo-testing vaccines when other vaccines are available. Many prominent anti-vaccine advocates used the news to falsely claim that no vaccines are tested against a placebo. Media coverage and social media posts about the new guidelines expressed concern about the impact on the availability of updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines. Several posts corrected the misconception that vaccines are not tested and explained the vaccine development process. Others celebrated the change, claiming it is long overdue, and questioned the safety of existing vaccines.

Recent data shows that the 2024-2025 flu season has been the deadliest for children in the last 15 years, with 216 deaths reported as of May 3. The news started an online conversation about pediatric flu vaccine uptake, which declined from 64 percent to 49 percent this year. Many posts discussed ways to overcome vaccine hesitancy and expressed frustration at parents who reject flu vaccines for their children. Some vaccine opponents falsely claimed that flu vaccines are ineffective and increase flu risk, while others dismissed coverage of the deaths as fearmongering.

In an April 30 interview, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoted the myth that the MMR vaccine contains “aborted fetus debris.” Vaccine opponents have spent the last week spreading this false claim, which is a long-disproven anti-vaccine talking point. This comes as the U.S. measles outbreak nears 1,000 infections. Social media posts speculated that support for abortion is a cover to harvest fetal tissue and argued against vaccination for religious reasons. Other posts debunked the myth and expressed concern that Kennedy’s false claims may discourage people from vaccinating their children.

Read the fact checks: 

• FactCheck.org: HHS Advances Kennedy’s Old ‘Placebo’ Vaccine Safety Claims 
• The Conversation: The MMR vaccine doesn’t contain ‘aborted fetus debris’, as RFK Jr has claimed. Here’s the science  
• NFID: Myths and Facts about Flu and Children 

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Talking points for health care providers to use in response to trending narratives

Each week the Infodemiology.com team will provide talking points and supporting messages in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. Health care providers can use this messaging when discussing vaccines online, talking to patients, or engaging with communities.

Every vaccine on the market undergoes several rounds of safety testing.

• A common anti-vaccine myth is that vaccines are not safety tested using a placebo. In fact, all routine vaccines are tested, and the types of safety testing vary based on the availability of existing vaccines.  
• All vaccines go through many rounds of testing to ensure they are safe and effective. This process often takes many years. 
• New vaccines may be tested against an older vaccine, rather than a placebo, if an effective vaccine is already available. For example, if a new measles vaccine is being tested, it would be unethical to give some children a placebo instead of the MMR vaccine, because that would put them at unnecessary risk of contracting measles. 

The flu vaccine saves lives. Over 200 children have died from the flu this season alone.

• Getting the flu vaccine is the best way to protect your child from the flu.
• Sometimes the flu is mild. Other times, it causes severe illness and serious, lasting complications, especially in young children. 
• Skipping flu vaccination puts your child at higher risk of hospitalization and complications like pneumonia, ear infections, and seizures.

The MMR vaccine is safe and has protected millions of children for over 50 years.

• Listing allegedly toxic or scary-sounding vaccine ingredients is a common anti-vaccine tactic. You should know that every ingredient is tested to ensure it is safe.
• There are no fetal cells present in any vaccine, including MMR. This anti-vaccine myth has been used for decades to trick people into believing that vaccination is unsafe or immoral.
• While fetal cell lines collected in the 1970s are used when testing vaccines and other drugs, no vaccine contains fetal cells. These cell lines have been used for decades to develop many medicines, including most over-the-counter cold, allergy, and pain medications.

Interested in recommendations tailored to public health professionals? Click here.