Tracking and contextualizing trending narratives across the nation's most pressing health topics

The Monitoring Lab is currently providing regular insights and real-time data dashboards on the four topics below. Select your topic of interest and area of practice to access data and insights tailored to your work.

Regular insights

United States

Vaccines: Public health

Vaccines: Health care

Substance use

Mental health

Reproductive health

Latin America & Caribbean

Vaccines

Europe

Vaccines

The insights on these pages are based on the monitoring of publicly available data. While some insights reference specific false claims and conspiracy theories, others are included to indicate gaps in knowledge, concerns, speculation, and other trending narratives related to the topic. Inclusion in reporting is based on reach and velocity of spread and on whether conversations may impact health behaviors and decisions.

Tracking all publicly available media data, our monitoring systems provide real-time intelligence on the health narratives trending across the country.

Dashboards are currently active across four health topics in the U.S. Click a topic below to explore the data at the national and regional levels.

Original reporting

Read in-depth reports from science journalists

Women are talking about menopause online. Here’s what they’re asking

Online conversations reveal frustration with health care providers and persistent gaps in access to reliable information.

First mRNA flu vaccine brings COVID-era concerns into flu vaccine conversations

Public discussion of mFlusiva has included substantial doubt and distrust, much of it carried over from COVID-19 vaccine conversations. Alongside that skepticism, people are asking practical questions about vaccine choice, eligibility, side effects, and access.

Help, warn, guide: How communities respond to public health

A year of online engagement with Michigan health departments found that people responded not only to what departments communicated about, but to the role they played: helping people access services, warning about risks, or acting as an authority.

Different viruses, different questions: Lessons from California’s 2025–2026 respiratory virus season

A year of online conversation about flu, COVID-19, and RSV immunizations across California found that each vaccine generated distinct conversations. Differences in lived experience, perceived risk, and trust shape how people think about them, meaning combined messaging may miss what matters most.