Do the people of the Hunza Valley in northern Pakistan never get cancer because they consume apricot seeds? No, that's not true: There are recorded cases of cancer among the people of the Hunza Valley that date back several decades and th
Search Results (260) for: circulates
Health Feedback→ Peter McCullough makes multiple false, misleading, and unsupported claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy in viral podcast
REVIEW On 22 April 2023, the website X22 Report published a 27-minute podcast interview with cardiologist Peter McCullough. During the interview, McCullough referred to the COVID-19 vaccination campaign as a “worldwide debacle” and repeated prev
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on RSV Maternal Vaccine and Antibody Candidates to Protect Infants
Nearly all children get sick from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, by the age of 2, and last year, there was a notable surge in RSV-associated hospitalizations. But the Food and Drug Administration is now considering approval of a vaccine and a mo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Publisher Robert Maxwell Put False Information In US Textbooks
Did British publisher Robert Maxwell, who owned Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School Publishing Co. in a joint venture from 1989 until his death in 1991, put false information in American textbooks? No, that's not true: McGraw Hill told Lead Stor
Health Feedback→ Methodologically flawed cholesterol study from 2016 used to support false claims that high cholesterol increases longevity
REVIEW On 11 March 2013, a Facebook post claimed, “A new study found that 92 percent of people with a high cholesterol level lived longer”. The post linked to an article with that exact title published on Livingtraditionally.com in 2020, which i
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Did Pope Francis Swat Away Trump’s Hand When They Met?
(Photograph by Vatican Pool/Getty Images.)A viral Facebook video appears to show Pope Francis swatting away Donald Trump’s hand, as Trump attempts to touch the pope’s finger. The viral video has a CNN logo in the bottom corner, making it se
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Trump Statement on Biden’s COVID Diagnosis a Fake
(Photo by Bridget Bennett/Getty Images)After the White House announced that President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday, an image of what was purportedly a statement on the matter from Donald Trump went viral.Clay Travis @ClayTravisDonald
FactCheck.org→ Fake Shinzo Abe Tweet Dredges Up Baseless Clinton Conspiracy Theory
Quick Take Internet trolls have used the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and a fake tweet purportedly from Abe, to promote a long-standing, unfounded conspiracy theory that the Clintons are responsible for the deaths of multiple peo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tweet Claiming The Mayo Clinic Is Misdiagnosing Trump Supporters Is Fake
Is a Mayo Clinic doctor misdiagnosing Trump supporters' healthy pregnancies? No, that's not true: The tweet making the claim originated from a fake account and this claim has been refuted by the Mayo Clinic since 2018. The claim appeared
Health Feedback→ Published research from the Wuhan Institute of Virology didn’t describe artificially created monkeypox strains; the research is unrelated to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak
REVIEW Reports of unusual monkeypox cases hit the headlines in May 2022, with at least 257 cases and zero deaths in 23 countries as of 30 May 2022. Monkeypox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus, whic
Health Feedback→ Monkeypox outbreak triggers conspiracy theories on social media claiming that it was planned or incorrectly linking it with COVID-19 vaccines
REVIEW On 13 May 2022, the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of two confirmed cases of monkeypox in patients from the same household and without recent travel history to areas where the virus circulates
Health Feedback→ Claim that the antiviral drug remdesivir is killing people is baseless
REVIEW On 22 October 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized adult and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older). The antiviral drug works by blocking the replication o
FactCheck.org→ Death of Betty White Leads to Swirl of Falsehoods on Social Media
SciCheck Digest TV actress Betty White passed away at age 99 on Dec. 31. Following her passing, various falsehoods appeared on social media about White, including claims that she died after getting a COVID-19 booster shot and that she was the sister of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Prayer Request For Greg Comer Is NOT Current — He Died In 2011
Did people come together in the last days of his life to pray for Greg Comer, a 41-year-old father in North Carolina who had been battling cancer, and also to pray for his family? Yes: A prayer chain was started in early January 2011 and
Health Feedback→ Claims that a Harvard study showed COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective misrepresent the conclusions from the authors; fail to account for the study’s limitations
REVIEW This video published by The Jimmy Dore Show on 17 October 2021 claimed in its title that a Harvard study showed that COVID-19 surged among most vaccinated communities. The cited study, which was published in the European Journal of Epidemiolo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Tim Tebow Released A Quote Mentioning A Biblical Prediction Of A Cashless Society And ‘Anti Christ’
Did former professional athlete Tim Tebow release a public message in August 2021 that mentions a biblical prediction of a cashless society and "Anti Christ"? No, there's no evidence to prove that, and plenty of evidence to show the post
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: It’s NOT True That Whether Vaccines Work Or Don’t Work For Others, You Don’t Need One
Is it true that whether a vaccine works or doesn't work for other people, you don't need one? Paradoxically, neither of these claims is true: You need protection even if others are vaccinated and especially when the vaccine, like many oth
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Hospital in France Allow Terminal Patients to Meet With ‘Peyo the Horse’?
The story of a French hospital’s unusual relationship with a former dressage horse — and the horse’s relationship with terminal patients there — recirculated online in July 2021. Interest in “Doctor Peyo” reignited f
FactCheck.org→ COVID-19 Vaccine-Generated Spike Protein is Safe, Contrary to Viral Claims
SciDigest Hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered safely in the United States in the last six months. There is no evidence to indicate that the spike proteins generated by human cells following vaccination are a toxin or t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Headline Does NOT Accurately Summarize Status Of Research Into COVID-19 Lockdown Effectiveness
Did the headline on this Facebook post correctly describe a draft report about the effect of lockdowns on the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. and other countries? No, that's not true: The paper is, by its own wording, still a working draft
FactCheck.org→ Viral Video Misleadingly Questions Safety of Nasal Swabs
SciCheck Digest A chemical widely used to sterilize medical devices is also used for nasal swabs in COVID-19 testing. But a viral video misleadingly suggests that the swabs are dangerous — saying that the chemical causes cancer and can alter DNA.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Veterinary Professor Does NOT Prove Vaccine Causes Buildup Of Toxins
Is a Canadian veterinary school professor correct that public health officials made a colossal mistake and have injected millions of Americans with substances that cause the body to manufacture toxins that will injure them? No, that's not
Full Fact→ Honey, ginger and pepper isn’t approved treatment for Covid-19
Readers have asked us to fact check a widely shared WhatsApp message which claims that a student at the University of Pondicherry in India has found a home remedy for Covid-19. The message claims that the remedy, which includes pepper powder, honey an
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Comic Was Created Around 1930’
Just as disinformation against vaccinations resurfaced yet again in 2021, so too did a cartoon warning readers about the dangers it brings. The oddly topical cartoon shows four men — identified as an “anti-vaccinationist,” a “fa
Hoax-Slayer→ Got a pencil? – Amazing Pencil Tip Sculptures by Dalton Ghetti
Series of images that circulates via email and social media show tiny but intricate sculptures carved into the graphite tips of pencils. The post Got a pencil? – Amazing Pencil Tip Sculptures by Dalton Ghetti appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccine candidates show high efficacy and a safe profile in clinical trials, contrary to claims in viral video
REVIEW This 7 December 2020 video shows a series of 34 clips from individuals from different countries, claiming that COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous and unnecessary because the COVID-19 pandemic is not real. First published on YouTube, the platform
Health Feedback→ Comparisons of tuberculosis and flu with COVID-19 omit important context that explains the different public health responses
REVIEW Claims that the COVID-19 pandemic response is an overreaction because the same measures aren’t being applied to tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases like the flu have circulated online since at least April 2020. These claims continue to be
Health Feedback→ Adequate immunization and improved sanitation together protect against infection from both wild and vaccine-derived poliovirus
REVIEW Articles like this one, published on 4 September 2020 on 21st Century Wire, report an outbreak of 13 cases of vaccine-derived polio that began in Sudan in March 2020 and was announced by the Sudan Federal Ministry of Health just one week afte
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Portland Antifa ‘Anarchist’ Camps — They Are Temporary Outdoor Homeless Shelters
Does a video show a secret Portland Antifa "anarchist" camp where "rioters" are staying as protests rage in the city? No, that's not true. A video that was shot in Portland, Oregon, shows two outdoor homeless camps that were set up by the
Full Fact→ Ukrainian soldiers have not died after having an American Covid-19 vaccine
A Facebook page has shared a status and several images claiming that four Ukrainian servicemen and one other person have died while taking part in a Covid-19 vaccine and medication trial. There is no evidence this is the case, and Ukraine’s Armed
Truth or Fiction?→ Was There a Potential COVID-19 Outbreak at a Las Vegas Strip Club?
A typically-false post from the “satirical” blog World News Daily Report (WNDR) got a bigger boost than usual online after being shared by an entrepreneur. The post delivered a characteristically lurid “story” about a COVID-19
Health Feedback→ Vaccines undergo strict safety testing before they are licensed for use in the U.S. and many other countries; no validity to the claim of a 33% “death rate” from COVID-19 vaccine
REVIEW Facebook posts (example) asking the question “Would you take a vaccine with a 33% death rate to feel safe from a virus with a 0.06% death rate?” began circulating in late July 2020, and have received more than 10,000 interactions on Faceb
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Uniformed Private Contractors Patrolling Portland and Snatching Protesters?
On July 25 2020, a rumor spread on Facebook that that individuals patrolling Portland in military uniform (sometimes snatching people off the street) were private contractors, and that they were working for a company called “Black River”:
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Coin Shortage? Where Did They All Go in Four Months?’
Despite being identified as disinformation, a Facebook post making light of a shortage of available coins around the United States continued to spread in July 2020. The post, which was published in a Kansas-based conservative group on July 16 2020, ha
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Proof That Genetic Mutations Responsible For Coronavirus’s Virulence
Did genetic mutations cause the coronavirus to become more dangerous? No, there is no evidence of that. The claim surfaced in a post (archived here) on Facebook. It opened: Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal
FactCheck.org→ Impeachment-Social Security Hoax Resurfaces in Video
Quick Take A viral YouTube video rehashed, and added to, a debunked hoax about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi taking money from Social Security to pay for the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump. The claim originated on a self-described s
Truth or Fiction?→ Fake ‘Thailand’s Seven New Provinces’ Post Resurfaces on Social Media in Thailand
An online hoax dating back to at least 2015 about Thailand having seven new provinces continued to spread as recently as January 2020, according to news and fact-checking organization Agence France-Presse. The news service reported that a post pushin
Hoax-Slayer→ WhatsApp ‘Change Your Profile Pic’ Hacker Hoax
According to a "warning" message that circulates via WhatsApp and social media websites, hackers are using WhatsApp profile pictures to create nude images of users. The post WhatsApp ‘Change Your Profile Pic’ Hacker Hoax appeared first o
FactCheck.org→ Viral Photo Falsely Targets Climate Strike Protesters
Quick Take A post on social media falsely claims to show litter left behind by Climate Strike protesters in London on Sept. 20. The photo is from a completely unrelated event in April. Full Story The Global Climate Strike, an international series of
FactCheck.org→ Post Misleads on Congressional Salaries, Social Security
Q: Did members of Congress approve a salary increase for themselves and deny an increase in Social Security benefits? A: No. Congress is still contemplating whether to allow an automatic pay increase for its members, and it does not determine cost-