A March 22 social media post with over four million views revived the disproven claim that the CDC concealed a study proving that hepatitis B vaccination caused a 1,135 percent increase in autism risk. This claim, which has circulated for decades despite being repeatedly debunked, quotes the U.S. health secretary suggesting that thimerosal in vaccines is linked to autism. The post was widely circulated and discussed online, with some claiming that hepatitis B vaccines are unnecessary and that children get “too many vaccines.”
Recommendation
Health officials and other high-profile figures can influence the public’s perception and acceptance of vaccines. When they promote false and misleading claims about routine childhood vaccines, they put the public at risk and weaken trust in public health guidance. Debunking messaging may provide important context for the viral claim: The CDC data cited was not from a study, but from a 2000 conference presentation of preliminary data, which showed no link between vaccines and autism. The study, which was completed and published in 2003, found no evidence that thimerosal in vaccines increases autism risk.
Health communicators may explain that hepatitis B vaccination is safe and provides lifelong protection. Messaging may explain that newborns receive the vaccine to prevent them from contracting the virus during birth or from infected adults at home, including those who don’t have symptoms or know that they have the virus. Emphasizing the decades of research showing that there is no link between autism and vaccines is recommended, as is explaining that hepatitis B vaccines have not contained thimerosal in over 20 years.
Fact-checking sources: Factcheck.org, Johns Hopkins
Communication resources: Find talking points and resources to help you communicate about Hepatitis B
