Category: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
As Conspiracy Theories Abound, Can We Restore Trust in Public Health?
MedPageToday With the House still investigating the pandemic, its origins, and our government’s responses — and with perhaps the most well-known public health figure in the hot seat (Anthony Fauci, MDopens in a new tab or window) — now seems a good time to reflect on how we might begin to restore our trust in […]
Jul 2, 2024
Bird flu misinformation spreading faster than virus
Health Times Social media users are over-egging claims about the impacts of bird flu outbreaks in Australia and overseas, experts say. Six Victorian poultry farms have detected cases of avian influenza, sparking fears of egg shortages and mass bird cullings. The spread of the virus globally has fuelled online conspiracy theories and misinformation about the […]
Jun 19, 2024
MMR Vaccine Myths Persist Amid Rising Cases
Neuroscience A new survey found that 24% of U.S. adults incorrectly believe the MMR vaccine causes autism, despite CDC evidence to the contrary. This misconception contributes to vaccine hesitancy and rising measles cases. The survey highlights the need for better public education on vaccine safety. Key Facts: Source: University of Pennsylvania As measles cases rise across […]
Jun 4, 2024
4 ways vaccine skeptics mislead you on measles and more
CBS News Measles is on the rise in the United States. So far this year, the number of cases is about 17 times what it was, on average, during the same period in each of the four years before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Half of the people infected — mainly children — have […]
May 22, 2024
California’s ‘wellness’ devotees think raw milk infected with bird flu will ‘boost immunity’
Telegraph Unpasteurised milk presents a risk at the best of times – but not in parts of woo-woo California, it seems. Despite the US health authorities warning that raw milk may contain live H5N1 virus – linked to bird flu outbreaks across 39 dairy farms – some people are reported to be seeking more of it. Just […]
May 15, 2024
STAT When it comes to federal agencies communicating to the public about H5N1 bird flu, it feels like a classic case of Yogi Berra’s déjà vu all over again. In the wake of pointed criticism about its failure to release new information about the growing H5N1 outbreak in livestock, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of […]
May 15, 2024
How to tell if a conspiracy theory is probably false
The Conversation Conspiracy theories are everywhere, and they can involve just about anything. People believe false conspiracy theories for a wide range of reasons – including the fact that there are real conspiracies, like efforts by the Sackler family to profit by concealing the addictiveness of oxycontin at the cost of countless American lives. The extreme consequences of unfounded conspiratorial beliefs could be […]
May 7, 2024
Doc Who Said COVID Vax Can Magnetize People Has License Reinstated
MedPage Today Sherri Tenpenny, DO, the Ohio physician who claimed COVID vaccines can magnetize people, had her medical license reinstated last month, according to the State Medical Board of Ohio. Tenpenny’s license was suspended indefinitely in August 2023, but was reinstated during the April 10 board meeting, a spokesperson for the board confirmed to MedPage Today. “Sherri Tenpenny […]
May 7, 2024
Physicist Studying SARS-CoV-2 Virus Believes He Has Found Hints We Are Living In A Simulation
IFLScience A physicist studying mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus claims to have found evidence for a new law of physics termed the “second law of Infodynamics”, and that it could indicate we are living in a simulated universe. On top of that, he suggests the study appears to imply that the theory of evolution is […]
Apr 17, 2024
Four Years After Shelter-in-Place, Covid-19 Misinformation Persists
KFF From spring break parties to Mardi Gras, many people remember the last major “normal” thing they did before the novel coronavirus pandemic dawned, forcing governments worldwide to issue stay-at-home advisories and shutdowns. Even before the first case of covid-19 was detected in the U.S., fears and uncertainties helped spur misinformation’s rapid spread. In March […]
Apr 3, 2024