Misinformation Alerts
Knowing what misinformation is being shared can help you generate effective messaging.
These insights are based on a combination of automated media monitoring and manual review by public health data analysts. Media data are publicly available data from many sources, such as social media, broadcast television, newspapers and magazines, news websites, online video, blogs, and more. Analysts from the Public Good Projects triangulate this data along with other data from fact checking organizations and investigative sources to provide an accurate, but not exhaustive, list of currently circulating misinformation.
Misinformation Alerts
Knowing what misinformation is being shared can help you generate effective messaging.
These insights are based on a combination of automated media monitoring and manual review by public health data analysts. Media data are publicly available data from many sources, such as social media, broadcast television, newspapers and magazines, news websites, online video, blogs, and more. Analysts from the Public Good Projects triangulate this data along with other data from fact checking organizations and investigative sources to provide an accurate, but not exhaustive, list of currently circulating misinformation.
Alerts are categorized as high, medium, and low risk.
- High risk alerts: Narratives with widespread circulation across communities, high engagement, exponential velocity, and a high potential to impact health decisions. Are often more memorable than accurate information.
- Medium risk alerts: Narratives that are circulating in priority populations and pose some threat to health. Potential for further spread due to the tactics used or because of predicted velocity. Often highlights the questions and concerns of people.
- Low risk alerts: Narratives that are limited in reach, don’t impact your community, or lack the qualities necessary for future spread. May indicate information gaps, confusion, or concerns.
Social media posts in multiple languages are recirculating the conspiracy theory that a WHO pandemic treaty allows the organization to impose lockdowns, vaccine requirements, and quarantines on countries. Several large-follower accounts have repeated the claim.
Recommendation: 
An FDA study of over 3 million children confirmed that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children and adolescents aged 5 to 17. The study found a slight increase in myocarditis risk in older children the week after vaccination, primarily in boys aged 12 to 17. Anti-vaccine sites falsely claim that the study proves vaccines are unsafe for children.
Recommendation:
Posts trending in multiple languages claim that a WHO study found that COVID-19 vaccines cause multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease in which the immune system attacks nerve cells. The posts include screenshots of the study falsely attributed to the WHO website.
Recommendation:
An article circulating on social media claims that childhood vaccines are the primary driver of the so-called "autism epidemic." The article falsely claims 100 “top scientists” agree that vaccines cause autism. The source of the claim appears to be an anecdote from a blog post authored by a tech entrepreneur and anti-vaccine conspiracist.
Recommendation: 
An anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist with a large following falsely claims that most SIDS cases occur within 10 days of vaccination. The post also repeats the debunked myth that SIDS “disappeared” in Japan after the country delayed the vaccination schedule by two years.
Recommendation:
A popular anti-vaccine organization published an article claiming that the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine is dangerous for pregnant women and their babies. The article also misrepresented clinical trial safety data.
Recommendation:
An image resurfaced the debunked claim that the U.S. military has seen a 500 percent increase in HIV rates since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and is now HIV-testing vaccinated soldiers.
Recommendation: 
A video circulating on social media promotes the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 vaccines cause people to emit and receive Bluetooth signals. The video, which has since been removed from the platform, claims that the theory was tested on buried bodies of people who allegedly died from COVID-19 vaccine injuries. A variation of this myth also circulated two years ago.
Recommendation:
A right-wing political commentator and talk show host has released a video series that promotes misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines. The first episode focuses on the HPV vaccine Gardasil, falsely claiming that it causes cancer and that it is “pushed” solely for pharmaceutical profit.
Recommendation:
A medical freedom group recently promoted misinformation and speculation about the tetanus vaccine, including the long-disproven myth that it is dangerous during pregnancy and causes infertility. This false claim has repeatedly been promoted by vaccine opponents worldwide.
Recommendation:
Alerts are categorized as high, medium, and low risk.
- High risk alerts: Narratives with widespread circulation across communities, high engagement, exponential velocity, and a high potential to impact health decisions. Are often more memorable than accurate information.
- Medium risk alerts: Narratives that are circulating in priority populations and pose some threat to health. Potential for further spread due to the tactics used or because of predicted velocity. Often highlights the questions and concerns of people.
- Low risk alerts: Narratives that are limited in reach, don’t impact your community, or lack the qualities necessary for future spread. May indicate information gaps, confusion, or concerns.
Vaccine Misinformation Guide
Get practical tips for addressing misinformation in this new guide. Click image to download.
Vaccine Misinformation Guide
Get practical tips for addressing misinformation in this new guide. Click image to download, or see highlights.