A physician-researcher who gained prominence for promoting COVID-19 conspiracy theories recently claimed that the flu vaccine is “built on a lie.” In a video clip, he falsely claims that the purpose of the vaccine is not to protect against the flu but to indoctrinate people into taking a vaccine every year.
Recommendation: Messaging may explain that decades of research show that the flu shot protects against infection and reduces the risk of serious illness and complications from the flu. Annual flu vaccination is encouraged because the flu can be quite severe and even deadly, especially in those who are very young, very old, pregnant, or have preexisting health conditions. Fact-Checking Source(s):