The Houston Health Department reported seven cases of meningitis between November 2023 and February 2024. In response to the rise in meningitis cases, the Texas Department of State Health Services issued an advisory encouraging Texans to stay up to date on vaccinations. Some comments on articles about the meningitis outbreak...
Michigan reported its first pediatric death from the flu of the 2023-2024 flu season. Some social media users are falsely attributing the child’s death to the flu vaccine. Others are promoting the false narrative that flu vaccines are ineffective and dangerous. Risk level: Medium Recommendation: These types of posts...
Eight cases of mumps have been reported in New Jersey. Health officials are urging New Jersey residents to look out for symptoms and to receive the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine if they are unvaccinated. In response to an article about the outbreak, some social media users are blaming immigrants for the...
Several social media users in English and Spanish posted videos of a press conference in South Korea in which the speakers made false claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety. According to the videos’ subtitles, the people in the press conference claim that “no one has suffered more than the families of...
A member of Congress proposed the Let Injured Americans Be Legally Empowered (Liable) Act, which would allow Americans to retroactively sue COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers for alleged vaccine injuries. News about the proposed bill has been widely circulated and celebrated among vaccine skeptics. Risk level: High Recommendation: While conversations about this...
A U.S. congressperson continues to circulate speculation about mRNA vaccines in food, citing a frequently misrepresented study exploring the use of edible plants to produce mRNA vaccines more efficiently. The congressperson advocates for an end to funding for “transgenic edible plant vaccines.” Several online posts are also spreading false...
In mid-February, the Supreme Court of Alabama declared that embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) can be considered children. Within a week of the ruling, several fertility clinics in Alabama paused their IVF treatments due to concern over the potential liability of physicians and laboratory staff when handling embryos....
Recently, the Providence City Council approved Rhode Island’s first “safe injection site” in February 2024, sparking conversation about opioids, overdoses, and harm reduction online. Rhode Island became the first state in the U.S. to authorize overdose prevention centers more than two years ago, and the newly approved Providence...
A newsletter by a prominent vaccine opponent referenced a small Ohio State University study, which found that vaccinated patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19-related respiratory failure were more likely to die than unvaccinated patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19-related respiratory failure. The writer falsely concludes that COVID-19 vaccines do not...
West Virginia’s legislature advanced a bill that would allow students to forego otherwise mandatory school vaccinations due to their religious beliefs. Some social media posts about the bill express concern about potential disease outbreaks, while others share stories of alleged “vaccine injuries” and falsely claim that vaccines are unsafe...
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