The Infodemiology Brief

Online conversations about vaccines over the last month were colored by recent policy shifts at the Department of Health and Human Services and waning trust in health authorities. HHS’s plans to placebo-test all new vaccines, including updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines, were met with excitement from vaccine opponents and...

This past month, vaccine skeptics ramped up their vaccine opposition as evidence of the deadly effects of anti-vaccine rhetoric grew. Declining vaccine uptake has led to historic outbreaks of measles and whooping cough and contributed to the worst flu season in 16 years. Recent reports of children dying from measles...

Concerns about future vaccine access at the state and federal level circulated online as ongoing measles outbreaks underscored the real-world impact of vaccine hesitancy. Many social media users repeated false claims about measles and MMR vaccines, including myths promoted by high-ranking government officials. State lawmakers introduced bills to restrict mRNA...

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was questioned about his anti-vaccine stances during his senate confirmation hearings for HHS secretary, false narratives about childhood vaccines circulated. Many myths that Kennedy previously promoted resurfaced online, including the false link between childhood vaccines and autism. A non-credible and non-peer-reviewed paper published on a...

In the last month, routine vaccines were subjected to unfounded criticism and false claims from high-profile political figures. President-elect Donald Trump and people affiliated with his proposed health team promoted the myth that childhood vaccines cause autism and questioned the safety of polio vaccines. Meanwhile, Louisiana health officials restricted the...

Over the last month, the results of the U.S. presidential election and the nominees selected for the incoming administration’s health team have dominated online vaccine conversations as high-profile political figures escalated attacks on routine and COVID-19 vaccines. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance claimed on a popular podcast to...

In recent weeks, myths about COVID-19 vaccine safety recirculated online as vaccine opponents targeted vaccines meant for the most vulnerable populations. The CDC’s recommendations for additional immunizations for older and immunocompromised individuals garnered a mixed response online. A non-peer reviewed study was used to falsely claim that only mRNA...

This past month, a new survey found widespread apathy and hesitancy about respiratory diseases and fall vaccines among U.S. adults, with less than 40 percent planning to get vaccinated. Results from the survey were published less than two weeks after the Florida surgeon general released another statement contradicting federal...

New data published in August underscores the real-world consequences of false and misleading narratives about vaccines, as public trust in routine immunizations dipped to historic lows. The mainstreaming of anti-vaccine rhetoric has given high-profile vaccine skeptics an even larger platform to attempt to discredit vaccines, new and old. False claims...

With a new school year and respiratory disease season rapidly approaching, vaccinations of all kinds are under attack online. Opposition to school vaccine requirements continues to grow as two presidential candidates recently promoted myths about routine vaccine safety. Adding to this false narrative are vaccine opponents who are using a...