Did billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates help fund a patent for the Wuhan coronavirus? No, that's not true: The Pirbright Institute addressed the conspiracy theories and said the patents involve infectious bronchitis
Search Results (3054) for: vaccines
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Evidence Coronavirus Is A Man-made Depopulation Weapon
Is the coronavirus a "man-made" depopulation weapon? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support this theory, which is being spread by conspiracy-minded outlets like InfoWars. While scientists are still investigating the source of the
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Romania Has NOT Developed Coronavirus Vaccine Able To Cure White People Only
Did Romanian scientists develop a vaccine that can cure caucasian people only? No, that's not true: The story is a hoax and laced with editorialized political rants. The site making the claim is known for publishing a mix of real news and cons
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the Wuhan Coronavirus
An outbreak of viral pneumonia that began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019 has now sickened thousands, and led to more than 100 deaths. Although much is still unknown, scientists have made rapid progress in understanding the cu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: W.H.O. Chief Scientist NOT Caught Lying To The Public
Was the W.H.O. chief scientist caught lying to the public about the robustness of the organization's vaccine safety systems? No, that's a misleading claim being shared via anti-vaccine groups. The groups, however, do raise pertinent questions
Truth or Fiction?→ Lysol + Coronavirus = Conspiracy
As fears of a coronavirus outbreak spread virally on social media in late January 2020, so too did posts about the packaging of Lysol and what some people saw as a suspicious mention of a viral strain that was new to them: LYSOL WAS INVENTED IN 1
FactCheck.org→ New Coronavirus Wasn’t ‘Predicted’ In Simulation
Quick Take A conspiracy theory website distorted the facts about an emergency preparedness exercise to suggest that the “GATES FOUNDATION & OTHERS PREDICTED UP TO 65 MILLION DEATHS” from the coronavirus now spreading. The event dealt wi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Patent For Coronavirus That Expired Is NOT For New Strain Killing People In China
Did a patent expire on January 22, 2020, for the "new" coronavirus, and does that prove the virus was "invented"? No, that's not true: The patent is about the SARS coronavirus, which broke out in China in 2002, not the current Wuhan City strai
Truth or Fiction?→ Martin Luther King Jr., Anne Frank, and Barbara Walters Are the Same Age?
In December 2019 (and periodically since), a Facebook post claimed that that Anne Frank, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barbara Walters would all be the same age if everyone was alive today: An additional status update stated the claim was the poster&
Truth or Fiction?→ December 7 1943: 56,082 People in Auschwitz; December 7 2019: 69,550 Children in Border Camps?
A December 8 2019 Facebook post purportedly contrasting the number of people in Auschwitz on December 7 1943 (56,082) with the number of children (not adults, 69,550) detained at border camps on the same date in 2019 circulated in copy-and-paste form
Lead Stories→ Fake News: The Entire European Union Did NOT Vote To Ban All Single Use Plastics By 2021
Did the entire European Union vote to ban all single-use plastics by 2021? No, that's not true: this article is misleading, taking out of context the very BBC story to which it links. The EU's Parliament did pass the Single-Use Plastics Direct
Truth or Fiction?→ Anti-Vaxxer Arrested in Samoa Boasted of American Support via Social Media
Authorities in Samoa have arrested a disinformation-peddling anti-vaccine “activist” local time amid a measles outbreak that has killed 62 people that experts said was spurred in part by social media. Samoa Observer identified Edwin Tamase
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Best-selling Author Jennifer Jaynes NOT Assassinated For Exposing Vaccine Fraud
Was best-selling author Jennifer Jaynes assassinated for exposing vaccine fraud? No, that's not true: Jaynes, who wrote domestic thrillers and children's books, died of a single gunshot that investigators ruled was self-inflicted. Although her
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Bill Gates Did NOT Admit Vaccinations Are Intended To Reduce Population
Did Bill Gates admit in a CNN interview that vaccinations are intended to reduce the world's population? No, that's not true: The Microsoft founder was talking to CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta in 2013 about his investment in delivering child vaccinat
Truth or Fiction?→ Did New York State Kick 26,000 Students out of School Over Vaccinations — Only to Still Have Chickenpox Cases?
On October 19 2019, a Facebook user shared a letter sent by a Rocky Point, New York school district concerning reported cases of chickenpox, along with a list of its symptoms and other information about the virus: Alongside the letter (dated October
FactCheck.org→ Instagram Post Falsely Links Flu Vaccine to Polio
Quick Take A popular Instagram post falsely claims “over 1,100 people died from reactions to the [flu] shot” in 2018, and suggests that the immunization gave some children polio. The flu vaccine cannot give anyone polio and there is no evidence to
Climate Feedback→ Telegraph article on climate change mixes accurate and unsupported, inaccurate claims, misleads with false balance
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in The Telegraph attempts to discuss the science of observed global warming and the factors responsible. However, mixed in with some accurate factual statements are claims that give readers the impress
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Global Warming Data NOT FAKED By Government To Fit Climate Change Fictions
Was global warming data faked by the U.S. government to fit climate change fictions? No, that's not true: When scientists with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) modernized the way daily temperatures recorded in every nook
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Flu Vaccine Does NOT Contain 25,000 Times More Mercury Than Legally Allowed In Drinking Water
Do flu vaccines contain 25,000 times more mercury than is legally allowed in drinking water? No, that's not true: Some flu vaccines do contain a trace amount of the organic compound Thimerosal, whch is 50-percent mercury. Thimerosal, used as a
Lead Stories→ Fake News: No Study Says Vitamin D Is More Effective Than Flu Vaccine
Did a scientific study conclude that vitamin D supplements are more effective than flu vaccines in preventing influenza? No, that's not true: Stories making the claim cite reviews and studies that concluded there are significant benefits from
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elvis Presley Receive a Polio Vaccination on Live TV in 1956 and Raise Immunization Revels to 80 Percent?
On September 18 2019, a Reddit user shared the following post to r/interestingasfuck, along with the claim that Elvis Presley’s televised 1956 polio vaccination helped boost the popularity of the vaccine not long after its introduction:
Snopes→ Malicious Bots and Trolls Spread Vaccine Misinformation
At least half of parents of young children report having encountered negative messages about vaccines on social media.
FactCheck.org→ Is Right to Try Saving a ‘Lot of People’?
President Donald Trump last year signed a bill — the Right to Try Act — that provided another avenue for terminally ill patients to gain access to unapproved medications still in development. But there’s no evidence that the new law i
Lead Stories→ Fake News: ADHD Is NOT A FAKE Disease Invented By Big Pharma To Drug Children For Profit
Is ADHD is a fake disease invented by Big Pharma to drug children for profit? No, that's not true: While there may be examples of misdiagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, scientific evidence shows it is real and that many pati
Snopes→ Pinterest to Direct Vaccine-Related Searches to Health Orgs
Pinterest said it will try to combat misinformation about vaccines by showing only information from health organizations when people search.
FactCheck.org→ Unpacking Biden’s and Trump’s Big Cancer Promises
On the campaign trail, former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump have both claimed that a cure to cancer would soon become a reality — if they were elected in 2020. Experts, however, don’t share that degree of optimism. Despi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Doctors NOT Confessing To Intentionally Diagnosing Healthy People With Cancer To Make Money
Have doctors confessed to intentionally diagnosing healthy people with cancer to make money? No, that's not true: It is a misleading claim, as there was only one doctor cited as admitting to faking cancer diagnoses for profit. Stories about fa
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NOT New Israeli Cancer Vaccine May NOT Cure 90% of All Cancer Types in One Shot
Is there a new Israeli cancer vaccine that may cure 90% of all cancer types in one shot? No, that's not true: It is an exaggerated claim about a cancer-fighting strategy first announced in 2011, but it has only gone through the early stages of
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Eradicated Diseases Making a Comeback Because of Immigrants and Refugees?
In April 2019, the Facebook page “Donald Plants” shared the following meme (archived here), which claimed that six “eradicated diseases” are in the process of “making a comeback” thanks to the presence of refugees
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Study Did NOT Prove 20% Of American Children ‘Have Never Drank Plain Water’
Did a recent study prove 20% of American children "have never drank plain water"? No, that's not true: a real study about water consumption of children and young adults in the U.S. asked about 8400 of them during surveys between 2011 and 2016
Snopes→ Cruise Ship Quarantined for Measles Case Heads to Curacao
Authorities said the ship's doctor requested 100 vaccines after a female crew member was diagnosed with measles.
FactCheck.org→ Measles Misinformation Gets an Immigration Twist
Quick Take A Facebook meme incorrectly blames the measles outbreak in the U.S. on immigrants from South America. The virus, however, was eliminated there in 2016. The recent uptick in measles cases is due to travelers returning from countries with outb
FactCheck.org→ The Facts on Medicare for All
Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced the latest version of his Medicare for All legislation on April 10, with 13 Democratic co-sponsors. Four of them, plus Sanders himself, are running for the Democratic presidential nomination. Sander says the bill, S. 1129
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Courts Did NOT Quietly Confirm MMR Vaccine Causes Autism
Did courts "quietly confirm" that the MMR vaccine, which protects children against measles, mumps, and rubella, causes autism? No, that's not true: Court cases cited in articles falsely making the claim concluded with damage awards for encepha
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Chicago Police Did NOT Demand Investigation of Michelle Obama Over Jussie Smollett Case
Did Chicago police demand an investigation of Michelle Obama over the prosecutors' decision to drop charges against actor Jussie Smollett? No, that's not true: While Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police is calling for a federal investigation of
FactCheck.org→ Kentucky Governor Misguides on Chickenpox
On March 19, in the midst of a chickenpox outbreak in his state, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin said in a radio interview that he had not vaccinated any of his children against the disease, choosing instead to purposely expose his kids to an infected person
FactCheck.org→ Darla Shine’s Measles Misinformation
Over a nearly 18-hour Twitter spree, Darla Shine, the wife of Bill Shine, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for communications, made a series of false and misleading statements about measles and vaccines. Shine said to “bring back”
Truth or Fiction?→ Do ‘The Most Brilliant Scientists’ Not Vaccinate Their Own Children?
On January 7, 2019, the Facebook page for NaturalNews.com shared a video, the premise for which was contained in its title: “The most brilliant scientists working for the U.S. government do NOT vaccinate their own kids.” The same video was
FactCheck.org→ Mailbag: 2018 Whoppers, Vaccine Additives
This week, readers sent us comments about our story on the whoppers of 2018, and on vaccine safety and additives. In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the email we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edite
Snopes→ Did the DOJ Admit the Flu Shot Is the “Most Dangerous” Vaccine in America?
The FBI issues a "Most Wanted Fugitives" list, but the DOJ has no equivalent for supposedly "Dangerous Vaccines."