HHS plan to placebo-test vaccines sparks controversy
Posts discuss pediatric flu deaths and vaccine hesitancy.
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
- NFID: Myths and Facts about Flu and Children
- The Conversation: The MMR vaccine doesn’t contain ‘aborted fetus debris’, as RFK Jr has claimed. Here’s the science
Recommendations brought to you by the health communication experts behind Infodemiology.com.
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 HHS guidance requiring placebo testing for new vaccines lends credence to the misleading and persistent anti-vaccine talking point that vaccines are never placebo tested. Debunking messaging may explain that all vaccines—old and new—are safety tested. Messaging may also explain that using a saline placebo to test a new vaccine when an effective vaccine is available could raise serious ethical issues, put people at unnecessary risk, and discourage participation in vaccine trials. Additionally, the requirement for new vaccines may delay the availability of frequently updated vaccines, like updated COVID-19 and annual flu vaccines.
Flu vaccine hesitancy has been on the rise in recent years, with many citing concerns about safety and effectiveness as their top reasons. Communicators may wish to emphasize the potential risks of a flu infection, especially to young children. Messaging may explain that vaccination is the best protection against the flu, reducing the risk of infection, severe illness, hospitalization, serious complications like pneumonia, and death.
Anti-vaccine advocates have falsely claimed for decades that vaccines contain fetal tissue to make people believe that vaccination is unsafe or immoral. Debunking talking points may stress that while fetal cell lines from tissue collected in the 1970s may be used when testing vaccines and other drugs, no vaccine contains fetal cells.
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