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.
The CDC’s updated guidance for respiratory viruses faces criticism from both vaccine skeptics and those who feel the agency isn’t doing enough to protect the public from COVID-19. The guidelines advise people to take similar precautions for COVID-19, the flu, and RSV, including staying up to date on vaccination, isolating until symptoms improve, and wearing a mask for five days after discontinuing isolation. Many posts falsely claim that the CDC said COVID-19 is the same as the flu, while others question why the CDC continues to recommend vaccines for COVID-19.
Recommendation:
Medium Risk Read More +
The negative response to the new guidance reveals a lack of confidence in public health entities. Debunking messaging may explain that the CDC never claimed that COVID-19 is the same as the flu. In fact, a CDC representative stated, “Let’s be clear. Covid-19 is not the flu. It still causes more serious illness and leads to more lasting effects.” Moreover, the CDC recommends vaccines for all three respiratory viruses for those who are eligible. Messaging may also emphasize that the world has evolved dramatically in the four years since COVID-19’s discovery. While the contagiousness of COVID-19 has not changed, public health guidelines have had to evolve over time, so the CDC has issued general respiratory virus isolation recommendations that apply to people who are sick with COVID-19 and as well as people who are sick with other respiratory illnesses. The virus has also undergone countless mutations, and most of the population has gained some level of immunity from vaccines, infection, or both. Staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines remains essential in preventing severe illness, death, hospitalization, and long COVID. Fact Checking Source(s): CDC
An anti-vaccine social media account that has spread false claims about COVID-19 in the past attempts to link Bill Gates to a rare mosquito-borne virus called Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) reported in two states in August 2023. The post implies that Gates created the virus to sell new vaccines.
Recommendation:
Low Risk Read More +
Responding to each conspiracy theory may detract from priority talking points. A few human EEEV cases are recorded in the U.S. each year, including two in Alabama in 2023. In the 1930s, the virus was first found to be transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. Although there is currently no EEEV vaccine for humans, vaccines may be developed as they have been in response to other naturally emerging diseases. Fact-checking sources: CNN, CDC
The CDC recommended an additional dose of the updated monovalent COVID-19 vaccine for adults 65 and older. Some took issue with the recommendation, claiming that government officials were targeting seniors before the election. A congressperson accused the CDC’s immunizations advisory committee of corruption and financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Recommendation:
High Risk Read More +
The potential for the discourse to increase vaccine hesitancy in older adults increases its risk. Messaging may emphasize that older adults are the most vulnerable population to serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. COVID-19 continues to hospitalize and kill thousands of people weekly, the vast majority of them people 65 and older. Last year, people 65 and older made up over 85 percent of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths. Talking points may also highlight that the 2023-2024 monovalent vaccine dramatically decreased the risk of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization in high-risk adults. Fact-Checking Source(s): National Council on Aging
News coverage of a measles outbreak in Florida and cases in 14 other states led to online discourse about the disease and the MMR vaccine. Much of the discourse is related to the Florida surgeon general’s letter to parents, which does not encourage vaccination and allows unvaccinated children to continue attending school. Some online posts falsely claim that measles isn’t real and that recent measles outbreaks are linked to vaccination campaigns.
Recommendation:
High Risk Read More +
The continued circulation of false claims about the measles vaccine amid an ongoing outbreak may cause hesitancy. Continuing to highlight that measles is highly contagious and potentially deadly yet preventable through vaccination is recommended, as is emphasizing that the CDC recommends that unvaccinated people isolate for the 21-day measles virus incubation period after exposure. Talking points may emphasize that vaccines do not cause measles. The MMR vaccine is very safe, highly effective, and the best protection against measles. For more information on how to respond to tough questions about the outbreaks, visit our Messaging Resource and Answers to Tough Public Health Questions on measles and the measles (MMR) vaccine. Fact-Checking Source(s): FactCheck.org, Full Fact
In an interview with a popular right-wing commentator, a tech entrepreneur-turned-vaccine conspiracist repeated several myths about COVID-19 vaccines. A clip from the video that has millions of views repeats the debunked claim that COVID-19 vaccines caused 17 million deaths and are the most dangerous vaccine of all time.
Recommendation:
Medium Risk Read More +
The large audience of the interview increases its risk. Debunking messaging may emphasize that the claim that COVID-19 vaccines are linked to millions of deaths has been thoroughly debunked. Messaging may also explain that global data contradicts the claim that COVID-19 vaccines cause excess deaths, including a 2023 analysis of data from 178 nations that found that higher COVID-19 vaccination coverage was associated with lower all-cause mortality rates. Fact Checking Source(s): Global Vaccine Data Network, AFP
A measles outbreak at an elementary school in Florida’s Broward County prompted the circulation of debunked myths about the disease and the MMR vaccine. Some vaccine opponents claim that COVID-19 or measles vaccines caused the outbreak, while others argue that measles isn’t serious and that vaccines are unnecessary. Notably, some opposition to measles vaccination appears to be an extension of the skepticism about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
Recommendation:
High Risk Read More +
For more information on how to respond to tough questions about the outbreaks, visit our Messaging Resource and Answers to Tough Public Health Questions on measles and the measles (MMR) vaccine. Fact-Checking Source(s): Full Fact, CDC, PBS
The rising risk of measles outbreaks in the U.S. and worldwide due to declining vaccination rates increases the risk of these false and misleading narratives. Debunking messaging may explain that vaccines do not cause measles and that the MMR vaccine is the best protection against the disease. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97 percent effective against measles and provide lifetime immunity. Messaging may also emphasize that measles is a serious and extremely contagious disease and that children without immunity are at high risk of contracting measles if exposed. One in five children who contract measles will be hospitalized, 1 in 20 will develop pneumonia, and 1-3 in 1,000 will die. Emphasizing that children who are unvaccinated, under-vaccinated, or unsure of their vaccination status should receive an MMR vaccine immediately—and up to 72 hours after measles exposure—is recommended.
The global safety study that identified several extremely rare risks associated with COVID-19 vaccines is being distorted and misrepresented online. Some posts include lists and misleading graphs of the increased risks identified in the study, while others contradict the study’s findings to overstate the risks and falsely insinuate that health authorities denied risks that have been formally recognized since 2021.
Recommendation:
Medium Risk Read More +
The safety study is being used to spread the false narratives that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe and have more risks than previously acknowledged. These narratives—based on deliberate misrepresentations of legitimate data—may weaken public confidence in vaccines. Talking points may emphasize that the largest global safety study to date confirmed just how safe COVID-19 vaccines are and the extreme rarity of serious adverse reactions. The study’s large scale allowed for the detection of risks that smaller studies may miss because they are so rare. Messaging may highlight that a study that found extremely rare risks, such as seven cases of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis out of 36 million Moderna vaccinations, does not support the false narrative that COVID-19 vaccines cause widespread death and serious health complications. Messaging may also explain that the safety of COVID-19 vaccines has been established in numerous large-scale studies, including the recent global safety study. Fact Checking Source(s): AFP, Health Feedback
Several viral posts falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccine recipients are ineligible to donate blood through the Red Cross. Days later, an audio clip of an alleged Red Cross official saying that blood is not separated by vaccination status has caused outrage.
Recommendation:
Low Risk Read More +
Responding to this false claim may detract from priority talking points. However, due to its widespread circulation, organizations may wish to address the misinformation. Emphasizing that there are no restrictions or waiting periods for people who received any COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S. and clarifying that Red Cross policy requires people who received live attenuated vaccines to wait two weeks before donating blood is recommended. Fact-checking sources: Full Fact, AP News
In an interview with a popular right-wing commentator, a tech entrepreneur-turned-vaccine conspiracist repeated several myths about COVID-19 vaccines. A clip from the video that has millions of views repeats the debunked claim that COVID-19 vaccines caused 17 million deaths and are the most dangerous vaccine of all time.
Recommendation:
Medium Risk Read More +
Misrepresentations of legitimate research fuel the persistent false narrative that COVID-19 vaccines are less safe than the public was led to believe. Debunking messaging may emphasize that the study did not identify new COVID-19 vaccine risks but rather confirmed previously reported risks like myocarditis and the extreme rarity of such events. Prebunking messaging may also continue to emphasize that the risk of serious adverse reactions after COVID-19 vaccination is far lower than the risk of COVID-19 infection. Fact Checking Source(s): Scripps News, University of Auckland, IDSA
Several posts are circulating images of a flu vaccine package insert, claiming that it proves flu vaccines are an ineffective scam. Other posts claim that flu vaccines are untested and may be linked to cancer and sterility.
Recommendation:
Medium Risk Read More +
Emphasizing that decades of research show that flu vaccines protect against flu infection, severe illness, and complications is recommended. Messaging may explain that the flu vaccine is extremely safe and not linked to any serious health concerns, including cancer or infertility. Fact Checking Source(s): Mayo Clinic, FactCheck.org, Health Feedback, Reuters
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, or see highlights.