Vaccine misinformation

{{Vaccination|expanded=issues}}

A survey by the Royal Society for Public Health found that 50% of the parents of children under the age of five regularly encountered misinformation related to vaccination on social media.{{cite journal |last1=Burki |first1=Talha |title=Vaccine misinformation and social media |journal=The Lancet Digital Health |date=1 October 2019 |volume=1 |issue=6 |pages=e258–e259 |doi=10.1016/S2589-7500(19)30136-0 |language=English |issn=2589-7500 |doi-access=free }} On Twitter, bots, masked as legitimate users were found creating false pretenses that there are nearly equal number of individuals on both sides of the debate, thus spreading misleading information related to vaccination and vaccine safety.{{cite journal |last1=Broniatowski |first1=David A. |last2=Jamison |first2=Amelia M. |last3=Qi |first3=SiHua |last4=AlKulaib |first4=Lulwah |last5=Chen |first5=Tao |last6=Benton |first6=Adrian |last7=Quinn |first7=Sandra C. |last8=Dredze |first8=Mark |title=Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter Bots and Russian Trolls Amplify the Vaccine Debate |journal=American Journal of Public Health |date=October 2018 |volume=108 |issue=10 |pages=1378–1384 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2018.304567|pmid=30138075 |pmc=6137759 }} The accounts created by bots used additional compelling stories related to anti-vaccination as clickbait to drive up their revenue and expose users to malware.

A study revealed that Michael Manoel Chaves, an ex-paramedic who was sacked by the NHS for Gross Misconduct after stealing from two patients he was treating, is involved with the anti-vaccine community. These are the type of individuals who were previously interested in alternative medicine or conspiracy theories.{{cite news |title=Normalization of vaccine misinformation on social media amid COVID 'a huge problem' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/normalization-vaccine-misinformation-social-media-amid-covid-huge/story?id=74585753 |access-date=3 January 2021 |work=ABC News |language=en |archive-date=24 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224172220/https://abcnews.go.com/Health/normalization-vaccine-misinformation-social-media-amid-covid-huge/story?id=74585753 |url-status=live }} Another study showed that a predisposition to believe in conspiracy theories was negatively correlated to the intention of individuals to get vaccinated.{{cite journal |last1=Bertin |first1=Paul |last2=Nera |first2=Kenzo |last3=Delouvée |first3=Sylvain |title=Conspiracy Beliefs, Rejection of Vaccination, and Support for hydroxychloroquine: A Conceptual Replication-Extension in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |date=2020 |volume=11 |page=565128 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2020.565128 |pmid=33071892 |pmc=7536556 |doi-access=free }}

Spreading vaccine misinformation can lead to financial rewards by posting on social media and asking for donations or fundraising for anti-vaccination causes.

The World Health Organization has classified vaccine related misinformation into five topic areas. These are: threat of disease (vaccine preventable diseases are harmless), trust (questioning the trustworthiness of healthcare authorities who administer vaccines), alternative methods (such as alternative medicine to replace vaccination), effectiveness (vaccines do not work) and safety (vaccines have more risks than benefits).

• False: Vaccines cause autism: The established scientific consensus is that there is no link between vaccines and autism.{{cite web |title=Autism and Vaccines {{!}} Vaccine Safety |url=https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=2 January 2021 |language=en-us |date=25 August 2020 |archive-date=16 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316105455/https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html |url-status=live }} No ingredients in vaccines, including thiomersal, have been found to cause autism.{{cite journal |last1=Geoghegan |first1=Sarah |last2=O’Callaghan |first2=Kevin P. |last3=Offit |first3=Paul A. |title=Vaccine Safety: Myths and Misinformation |journal=Frontiers in Microbiology |date=17 March 2020 |volume=11 |pages=372 |doi=10.3389/fmicb.2020.00372 |pmid=32256465 |pmc=7090020 |doi-access=free }} The incorrect claim that vaccines cause autism dates to a paper published in 1998 and has since been retracted. In the late 1990s' a physician at Royal Free Hospital by the name of Andrew Wakefield published an article claiming to have found an explanation for autism. He first reported a relationship between measles virus and colonic lesions in Crohn's disease, which was soon disproved. He next hypothesized that the MMR triad vaccine, the vaccine for measles, triggered colonic lesions that disrupted the colon's permeability, causing neurotoxic proteins to enter the bloodstream, eventually reach the brain and result in autistic symptoms.{{cite web |title=Vaccines and Autism |url=https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/vaccines-and-other-conditions/vaccines-autism |website=The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia |access-date=6 January 2023 |language=en |date=5 November 2014}}{{Cite journal |last=Davidson |first=Michael |date=December 2017 |title=Vaccination as a cause of autism—myths and controversies |journal=Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=403–407 |doi=10.31887/DCNS.2017.19.4/mdavidson |issn=1294-8322 |pmc=5789217 |pmid=29398935 }} The article was partially retracted by The Lancet as of March 6, 2004, after journalist Brian Deer raised issues including the possibility of severe research misconduct, conflict of interest and probable falsehood. The paper was fully retracted as of February 2, 2010, following an investigation of the flawed study by Britain's General Medical Council which supported those concerns.{{cite journal |title=A timeline of the Wakefield retraction |journal=Nature Medicine |date=1 March 2010 |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=248 |doi=10.1038/nm0310-248b |s2cid=36480678 |language=en |issn=1546-170X|doi-access=free }}{{Cite journal |last=Eggertson |first=Laura |date=2010-03-09 |title=Lancet retracts 12-year-old article linking autism to MMR vaccines |journal=CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal |volume=182 |issue=4 |pages=E199–E200 |doi=10.1503/cmaj.109-3179 |issn=0820-3946 |pmc=2831678 |pmid=20142376}}{{cite news |title=Andrew Wakefield's Harmful Myth of Vaccine-induced "Autistic Entercolitis" |url=https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/andrew-wakefield-vaccine-myth/ |access-date=6 January 2023 |work=Gastrointestinal Society |agency=Inside Tract® newsletter issue 177 |date=2011}} The British Medical Association took disciplinary action against Wakefield on May 24, 2010, revoking his right to practice medicine.{{cite news |last1=Burns |first1=John F. |title=British Medical Council Bars Doctor Who Linked Vaccine With Autism |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/health/policy/25autism.html |access-date=7 January 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=25 May 2010}} There are some indications that people with autism may also tend to have gastrointestinal disorders like an unusually shaped intestinal tract and micro bacteria alterations.{{cite news |last1=Fliesler |first1=Nancy |title=The Autism-GI Link Inflammatory bowel disease found more prevalent in ASD patients |url=https://hms.harvard.edu/news/autism-gi-link |access-date=7 January 2023 |work=Harvard Medical School News |date=August 12, 2015 |language=en}} However, multiple large-scale studies of more than half a million children have been carried out without finding a causal link between MMR vaccines and autism.
• False: Vaccines can cause the same disease that one is vaccinated against: A vaccine causing complete disease is extremely unlikely (with the sole exception of the oral polio vaccine, which is no longer in use as a result).{{Cite web|title=Vaccines: The Myths and the Facts|url=https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/allergy-library/vaccine-myth-fact|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111234837/https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/allergy-library/vaccine-myth-fact|archive-date=11 November 2020|access-date=3 March 2021|website=American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology}} In traditional vaccines, the virus is attenuated (weakened) and thus it is not possible to contract the disease,{{cite web |title=Vaccines and immunization: Myths and misconceptions |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/vaccines-and-immunization-myths-and-misconceptions |website=World Health Organization |language=en |access-date=3 January 2021 |archive-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214190102/https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/vaccines-and-immunization-myths-and-misconceptions |url-status=live }} while in newer technologies like mRNA vaccines the vaccine does not contain the virus at all.{{Cite web|date=18 December 2020|title=Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines|url=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303003047/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html|archive-date=3 March 2021|access-date=3 March 2021|website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}}
• False: Vaccines can cause harmful side effects and even death: Vaccines are very safe. Most adverse events after vaccination are mild and temporary, such as a sore throat or mild fever, which can be controlled by taking paracetamol after vaccination.
• False: Vaccines can cause infertility: There is no supporting evidence or data that any vaccines have a negative impact on women's fertility.{{Cite medRxiv |last1=Safrai |first1=Myriam |last2=Rottenstreich |first2=Amihai |last3=Herzberg |first3=Shmuel |last4=Imbar |first4=Tal |last5=Reubinoff |first5=Benjamin |last6=Ben-Meir |first6=Assaf |date=2021-06-01 |title=Stopping the misinformation: BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine has no negative effect on women's fertility |language=en |medrxiv=10.1101/2021.05.30.21258079v1}} In 2020, as COVID-19 numbers rose and vaccinations started to roll out, the misinformation around vaccines causing infertility began to circulate.{{Cite web |title=COVID-19 Vaccines: Myth Versus Fact |url=https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines-myth-versus-fact |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.hopkinsmedicine.org |language=en}} The false narrative began that mRNA vaccine-induced antibodies which act against the SARS-CoV-2 spruce protein could also attack the placental protein syncytin-1, and that this could cause infertility.{{Cite journal |last=Abbasi |first=Jennifer |date=2022-03-15 |title=Widespread Misinformation About Infertility Continues to Create COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy |journal=JAMA |volume=327 |issue=11 |pages=1013–1015 |doi=10.1001/jama.2022.2404 |pmid=35191947 |s2cid=247024092 |issn=0098-7484|doi-access=free }} There is no evidence to support this. A joint statement of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine clearly states “that there is no evidence that the vaccine can lead to loss of fertility”.{{Cite web |title=ASRM, ACOG and SMFM Issue Joint Statement: Medical Experts Continue to Assert that COVID Vaccines Do Not Impact Fertility |url=https://www.asrm.org/news-and-publications/covid-19/covid-19-press-releases-and-announcements/asrm-smfm-acog-issue-joint-statement-medical-experts-continue-to-assert-that-covid-vaccines-do-not-impact-fertility/ |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.asrm.org}}

There are numerous studies{{Cite web| title=(Congressman Bill Posey, FL) File 10 25 of 334 | url=https://yale62.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Verstraeten-Thomas-M.D.-et-al-CDC-1999.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015044345/https://yale62.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Verstraeten-Thomas-M.D.-et-al-CDC-1999.pdf | archive-date=2022-10-15}}{{Cite journal |last1=R Mawson |first1=Anthony |last2=D Ray |first2=Brian |last3=R Bhuiyan |first3=Azad |last4=Jacob |first4=Binu |date=2017 |title=Pilot comparative study on the health of vaccinated and unvaccinated 6- to 12- year old U.S. children |url=http://www.oatext.com/Pilot-comparative-study-on-the-health-of-vaccinated-and-unvaccinated-6-to-12-year-old-U-S-children.php |journal=Journal of Translational Science |volume=3 |issue=3 |doi=10.15761/JTS.1000186|doi-access=free }}{{Cite journal |last1=Hooker |first1=Brian S |last2=Miller |first2=Neil Z |date=January 2020 |title=Analysis of health outcomes in vaccinated and unvaccinated children: Developmental delays, asthma, ear infections and gastrointestinal disorders |journal=Sage Open Medicine |language=en |volume=8 |doi=10.1177/2050312120925344 |issn=2050-3121 |pmc=7268563 |pmid=32537156}}{{Cite journal |last1=Mawson |first1=Anthony R. |last2=Croft |first2=Ashley M. |date=2020-11-12 |title=Multiple Vaccinations and the Enigma of Vaccine Injury |journal=Vaccines |language=en |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=676 |doi=10.3390/vaccines8040676 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-393X |pmc=7712358 |pmid=33198395}} and surveys{{Cite web |last=Yumpu.com |title=NVKP survey - Think Twice Global Vaccine Institute |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/31846969/nvkp-survey-think-twice-global-vaccine-institute |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=yumpu.com |language=en}}{{Cite web| title=Vaccinated vs. unvaccinated health outcomes in Ulster children | url=https://icandecide.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Letter-to-NY-DOH_2021_05_21.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825034630/https://www.icandecide.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Letter-to-NY-DOH_2021_05_21.pdf | archive-date=2021-08-25}} that purport to show an association between vaccines and a range of conditions: from ear infections and asthma, to ADHD and autism; however most of the studies have been retracted, or are unpublished, and the surveys are non peer-reviewed. One of the studies in question has been criticised for only calculating an unadjusted observational association (as opposed to a correlation or causation).{{Cite journal |last1=Ioniuc |first1=Ileana |last2=Miron |first2=Ingrith |last3=Lupu |first3=Vasile Valeriu |last4=Starcea |first4=Iuliana Magdalena |last5=Azoicai |first5=Alice |last6=Alexoae |first6=Monica |last7=Adam Raileanu |first7=Anca |last8=Dragan |first8=Felicia |last9=Lupu |first9=Ancuta |date=2022-12-18 |title=Challenges in the Pharmacotherapeutic Management of Pediatric Asthma |journal=Pharmaceuticals |language=en |volume=15 |issue=12 |pages=1581 |doi=10.3390/ph15121581 |doi-access=free |issn=1424-8247 |pmc=9785161 |pmid=36559032}}

Responding to misinformation, some may resort to complementary or alternative medicine as an alternative to vaccination. Those who believe in this narrative view vaccines as 'toxic and adulterating' while seeing alternative 'natural' methods as safe and effective.{{cite journal |last1=Attwell |first1=Katie |last2=Ward |first2=Paul R. |last3=Meyer |first3=Samantha B. |last4=Rokkas |first4=Philippa J. |last5=Leask |first5=Julie |title="Do-it-yourself": Vaccine rejection and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027795361730686X |journal=Social Science & Medicine |date=January 2018 |volume=196 |pages=106–114 |doi=10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.11.022 |pmid=29175699 |access-date=3 January 2021 |hdl=2328/37725 |s2cid=4091424 |hdl-access=free |archive-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524073217/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027795361730686X |url-status=live }} Some of the misinformation circulating around alternate remedies for vaccination include:

• False: Eating yoghurt cures human papillomavirus: Eating any natural product does not prevent or cure HPV.
• False: Homeopathy can be used as an alternative to protect against measles: Homeopathy has been shown to be ineffective against preventing measles.
• False: Quercetin, zinc, vitamin D, and other nutritional supplements can protect from/treat COVID-19: none of the above can prevent or treat COVID-19.{{Cite web |title=Covid-19 — Myth Versus Fact |url=https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/2019-novel-coronavirus-myth-versus-fact |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.hopkinsmedicine.org |date=14 February 2022 |language=en}}
• False: Nosodes are an alternative to vaccines: There is no evidence supporting nosodes effectiveness in preventing or treating infectious diseases.{{Cite journal |last1=Rieder |first1=Michael J |last2=Robinson |first2=Joan L |date=May 2015 |title='Nosodes' are no substitute for vaccines |journal=Paediatrics & Child Health |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=219–220 |doi=10.1093/pch/20.4.219 |issn=1205-7088 |pmc=4443832 |pmid=26038642}}

Misinformation that forced vaccination could be used to "depopulate" the earth circulated in 2011 by misquoting Bill Gates.{{cite web |title=False Bill Gates 'depopulate with vaccines' news a conspiracy theory classic – Australian Associated Press |url=https://www.aap.com.au/false-bill-gates-depopulate-with-vaccines-news-a-conspiracy-theory-classic/ |website=AustralianAssociatedPress |access-date=3 January 2021 |language=en |date=8 December 2020 |archive-date=23 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223102934/https://www.aap.com.au/false-bill-gates-depopulate-with-vaccines-news-a-conspiracy-theory-classic/ |url-status=live }} There is misinformation implying that vaccines (particularly the mRNA vaccine) could alter DNA in the nucleus.{{cite news |publisher=BBC |type=Reality Check |title=Vaccine rumours debunked: Microchips, 'altered DNA' and more |vauthors=Carmichael F, Goodman J |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/54893437 |date=2 December 2020}} mRNA in the cytosol is very rapidly degraded before it would have time to gain entry into the cell nucleus. (mRNA vaccines must be stored at very low temperatures to prevent mRNA degradation.) Retrovirus can be single-stranded RNA (just as SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is single-stranded RNA) which enters the cell nucleus and uses reverse transcriptase to make DNA from the RNA in the cell nucleus. A retrovirus has mechanisms to be imported into the nucleus, but other mRNA lack these mechanisms. Once inside the nucleus, creation of DNA from RNA cannot occur without a primer, which accompanies a retrovirus, but which would not exist for other mRNA if placed in the nucleus.{{cite journal | vauthors = Skalka AM | title = Retroviral DNA Transposition: Themes and Variations | journal = Microbiology Spectrum | volume = 2 | issue = 5 | pages = MDNA300052014 | date = December 2014 | pmid = 25844274 | pmc = 4383315 | doi = 10.1128/microbiolspec.MDNA3-0005-2014 | isbn = 9781555819200 }}{{cite web | vauthors = Nirenberg E | title = No, Really, mRNA Vaccines Are Not Going To Affect Your DNA | work = Vaccines, Immunology, COVID-19 | publisher = deplatformdisease.com | date = 24 November 2020 | url = https://www.deplatformdisease.com/blog/no-really-mrna-vaccines-are-not-going-to-affect-your-dna | access-date = 28 January 2021 }} Thus, mRNA vaccines cannot alter DNA because they cannot enter the nucleus, and because they have no primer to activate reverse transcriptase.

Anti-vaxxers emphasize that the components in vaccines such as thiomersal and aluminum are capable for causing health hazards.{{cite magazine |title=How a Vaccine Is Like a Banana – and Why That's Good |url=https://time.com/4058511/vaccine-ingredients-inserts/ |access-date=3 January 2021 |magazine=Time |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128095224/https://time.com/4058511/vaccine-ingredients-inserts/ |url-status=live }} Thiomersal is a harmless component in vaccines which is used to maintain its sterility, and there are no known adverse effects due to it.{{cite web |title=WHO {{!}} Statement on thiomersal |url=https://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/committee/topics/thiomersal/statement_jul2006/en/ |website=WHO |access-date=3 January 2021 |archive-date=10 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210224337/https://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/committee/topics/thiomersal/statement_jul2006/en/ |url-status=dead }} Aluminium is included in the vaccine as an adjuvant, and it has low toxicity even in large amounts. Formaldehyde included in some vaccines is in negligibly low quantities and it is harmless. Narratives that COVID-19 vaccines contain haram products were circulated in Muslim communities.{{cite news |last=Ningtyas |first=Ika |title=Indonesia battles spread of vaccine misinformation |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/indonesia-battles-spread-of-vaccine-misinformation/2124319 |access-date=30 January 2021 |work=Anadolu Agency |date=27 January 2021 |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128003620/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/indonesia-battles-spread-of-vaccine-misinformation/2124319 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Good |first1=Richard |title=Concerns grow COVID vaccine misinformation campaigns targeting Muslims |url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/22/concerns-grow-that-covid-vaccine-misinformation-campaigns-are-targeting-muslims |access-date=30 January 2021 |work=euronews |date=22 January 2021 |language=en |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125121035/https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/22/concerns-grow-that-covid-vaccine-misinformation-campaigns-are-targeting-muslims |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Covid: Fake news 'causing UK South Asians to reject jab' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55666407 |website=BBC News |access-date=30 January 2021 |date=15 January 2021 |archive-date=21 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121202940/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55666407 |url-status=live }}

The Big Pharma conspiracy theory, that pharmaceutical companies operate for sinister purposes and against the public good, has been used in the context of vaccination.{{cite news |last1=Rauhala |first1=Emily |title=The pandemic is amplifying the U.S. anti-vaccine movement – and globalizing it |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/coronaviurs-antivax-conspiracies/2020/10/06/96ddd2c2-028e-11eb-b92e-029676f9ebec_story.html |access-date=3 January 2021 |newspaper=Washington Post |archive-date=1 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101125157/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/coronaviurs-antivax-conspiracies/2020/10/06/96ddd2c2-028e-11eb-b92e-029676f9ebec_story.html |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last1=Kata |first1=Anna |title=Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm – An overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement |journal=Vaccine |date=28 May 2012 |volume=30 |issue=25 |pages=3778–3789 |doi=10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.11.112 |pmid=22172504 |s2cid=38720733 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X11019086 |access-date=3 January 2021 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112000301/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X11019086 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} The theory states that vaccines have unusual substances in them and that they are only made for an increase in profit.{{Cite journal |last=Blaskiewicz |first=Robert |date=December 2013 |title=The Big Pharma conspiracy theory |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272310471 |journal=Medical Writing |volume=22 |issue=4|pages=259–261 |doi=10.1179/2047480613Z.000000000142 }}

There is a common misconception that vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles are harmless. However, measles remains a serious disease, and can cause severe complications or even death. Vaccination is the only way to protect against measles.{{cite web |title=Addressing misconceptions on measles vaccination |url=https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/measles/prevention-and-control/addressing-misconceptions-measles |website=European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control |date=15 April 2014 |access-date=3 January 2021 |language=en |archive-date=7 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107224744/https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/measles/prevention-and-control/addressing-misconceptions-measles |url-status=live }}

Personal anecdotes and sometimes false stories are circulated about vaccination.{{cite journal |last1=Kata |first1=Anna |title=Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm – An overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement |journal=Vaccine |date=28 May 2012 |volume=30 |issue=25 |pages=3778–3789 |doi=10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.11.112 |pmid=22172504 |s2cid=38720733 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X11019086 |access-date=3 January 2021 |language=en |issn=0264-410X |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112000301/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X11019086 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} Misinformation has spread claiming that people died due to COVID-19 vaccination. There are individuals that perpetuate the harmful mistruths about vaccinations and the falsified links vaccinations have with autism. Through the spread of false media, civilians are blindly being led to believe that vaccinations are the leading cause of autism, when in fact, this is far from the truth. For one, autism occurs during fetal development, not after the mother has given birth (Rodier, P. M. 2000). However, there are contributing factors that can influence where a child may be placed on the spectrum. These factors include the mother consuming medication while pregnant that should not be consumed during pregnancy, genetics playing a part, the environment as well as metabolic disorders and epigenetic mechanisms (Manzi, B. et al. 2008). Though individuals tend to believe that autism is a harmful and negative disorder—and therefore refusing to be vaccinated—they are actually causing more harm to themselves and others by potentially putting themselves at risk of being exposed to diseases and infections that can be harmful to their body. Moreover, when infected, they can then transfer the disease to a person who is immunocompromised. This not only harms themselves but can contribute to the spread of viral infections with harmful long-term effects that can potentially result in death. All in all, through the many experiments performed on the links between vaccinations and autism, no experiment has conclusively proven the link between autism and vaccinations.{{cite web |title=Nurse who fainted after COVID-19 vaccine shot is not dead – Australian Associated Press |url=https://www.aap.com.au/nurse-who-fainted-after-covid-19-vaccine-shot-is-not-dead/ |website=Australian Associated Press |access-date=3 January 2021 |language=en |date=30 December 2020 |archive-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122214930/https://www.aap.com.au/nurse-who-fainted-after-covid-19-vaccine-shot-is-not-dead/ |url-status=live }}

Other conspiracy theories circulated on social media have included the false notion such as;

• False: Polio is not a real disease and the symptoms are actually due to DDT poisoning:{{Cite journal |last1=Hoffman |first1=Beth L. |last2=Felter |first2=Elizabeth M. |last3=Chu |first3=Kar-Hai |last4=Shensa |first4=Ariel |last5=Hermann |first5=Chad |last6=Wolynn |first6=Todd |last7=Williams |first7=Daria |last8=Primack |first8=Brian A. |date=2019-04-10 |title=It's not all about autism: The emerging landscape of anti-vaccination sentiment on Facebook |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X19303032 |journal=Vaccine |language=en |volume=37 |issue=16 |pages=2216–2223 |doi=10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.03.003 |pmid=30905530 |s2cid=85502265 |issn=0264-410X}} The first major documented polio outbreak in the United States occurred in 1894 in Vermont.{{Cite web |last1=Caverly |first1=-Charles |last2=MD |last3=Vermont |first3=Infantile Paralysis in |title=First U.S. Polio Epidemic {{!}} History of Vaccines |url=https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/first-us-polio-epidemic |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.historyofvaccines.org |language=en}} In the early 20th century, a polio epidemic started in the west causing 6,000 deaths and leaving 27,000 people paralyzed.{{Cite web |title="Breaking the back of polio" |url=https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/breaking-the-back-of-polio/ |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=medicine.yale.edu |language=en}} In 1954, the Salk Institute created the polio vaccine putting an end to the epidemic and saving millions of lives. The incorrect theory that polio was related to pesticide poisoning predates the discovery of the polio vaccine. It was proposed in 1952 by Dr. Ralph R. Scobey in an article in the Archives of Pediatrics. Scobey argued that there were similarities between the symptoms of polio and various types of poisoning, and suggested that polio outbreaks might be more likely to occur during the summer and be related to consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables. While pesticides such as DDT are dangerous, as was shown by Rachel Carson in Silent Spring in 1962,{{cite news |title=The Story of Silent Spring |url=https://www.nrdc.org/stories/story-silent-spring |access-date=5 January 2023 |work=NRDC |date=August 13, 2015 |language=en}} they are not dangerous in the way that Scobey believed them to be, as a cause of polio.{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Gareth |title=Paralysed with Fear: The Story of Polio |date=27 June 2013 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-29976-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EWkhAQAAQBAJ&dq=Scobey&pg=PT372 |language=en}} Studies have clearly demonstrated causal relationships showing that polio is caused by a virus. Vaccines have proven effective in preventing the disease and eliminating wild poliovirus in most parts of the world.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-09 |title=Polio is caused by a virus, not 'industrial toxins' |url=https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/polio-is-caused-by-a-virus-not-industrial-toxins/ |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=Australian Associated Press |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Kew |first1=Olen |last2=Pallansch |first2=Mark |title=Breaking the Last Chains of Poliovirus Transmission: Progress and Challenges in Global Polio Eradication |journal=Annual Review of Virology |date=29 September 2018 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=427–451 |doi=10.1146/annurev-virology-101416-041749 |pmid=30001183 |s2cid=51622733 |language=en |issn=2327-056X|doi-access=free }}
• False: The COVID-19 vaccines contain injectable microchips to identify and track people:{{Cite news |date=2020-12-14 |title=Fact check: COVID-19 vaccine labels would not microchip or track individuals, but serve logistical purpose |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-microchip-not-injected-covi-idUSKBN28O1TM |access-date=2022-04-10}}{{Cite news |last1=Alba |first1=Davey |author-link1=Davey Alba|last2=Frenkel |first2=Sheera |date=2020-12-16 |title=From Voter Fraud to Vaccine Lies: Misinformation Peddlers Shift Gears |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/from-voter-fraud-to-vaccine-lies-misinformation-peddlers-shift-gears.html |access-date=2022-04-10 |issn=0362-4331}} This conspiracy theory started circulating in 2020 claiming the COVID-19 pandemic was a cover for a plan to implant trackable microchips and Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, was behind it.{{Cite journal |last1=Gerts |first1=Dax |last2=Shelley |first2=Courtney D |last3=Parikh |first3=Nidhi |last4=Pitts |first4=Travis |last5=Watson Ross |first5=Chrysm |last6=Fairchild |first6=Geoffrey |last7=Vaquera Chavez |first7=Nidia Yadria |last8=Daughton |first8=Ashlynn R |date=2021-04-14 |title="Thought I'd Share First" and Other Conspiracy Theory Tweets from the COVID-19 Infodemic: Exploratory Study |journal=JMIR Public Health and Surveillance |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=e26527 |doi=10.2196/26527 |issn=2369-2960 |pmc=8048710 |pmid=33764882 |doi-access=free }} A YouGov poll conducted in 2020 suggested that 28% of Americans believe in this conspiracy theory.{{cite news|vauthors=Goodman J, Carmichael F|date=29 May 2020|title=Coronavirus: Bill Gates ‘microchip’ conspiracy theory and other vaccine claims fact-checked|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/52847648|publisher=BBC|access-date=28 March 2025}} The origin of the theory is a long-term effort of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on sponsoring research on vaccinating people by pricking skin with an array of a large count of sharp microneedles coated with a vaccine, as long as with some fluorescent ink. The needles were made of silicon using the similar technology integrated circuits are made. Any piece of silicon resulted from this technology is called a "chip", be it an integrated circuit, a MEMS device, or something else. So the theory has arisen from the confusion of different meanings of the word "chip". In the series of research papers,{{cite journal | doi=10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-060816-101514 | title=Engineering Microneedle Patches for Vaccination and Drug Delivery to Skin | date=2017 | last1=Prausnitz | first1=Mark R. | journal=Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering | volume=8 | pages=177–200 | pmid=28375775 | doi-access=free }}{{cite journal | doi=10.1126/scitranslmed.aay7162 | title=Biocompatible near-infrared quantum dots delivered to the skin by microneedle patches record vaccination | date=2019 | last1=McHugh | first1=Kevin J. | last2=Jing | first2=Lihong | last3=Severt | first3=Sean Y. | last4=Cruz | first4=Mache | last5=Sarmadi | first5=Morteza | last6=Jayawardena | first6=Hapuarachchige Surangi N. | last7=Perkinson | first7=Collin F. | last8=Larusson | first8=Fridrik | last9=Rose | first9=Sviatlana | last10=Tomasic | first10=Stephanie | last11=Graf | first11=Tyler | last12=Tzeng | first12=Stephany Y. | last13=Sugarman | first13=James L. | last14=Vlasic | first14=Daniel | last15=Peters | first15=Matthew | last16=Peterson | first16=Nels | last17=Wood | first17=Lowell | last18=Tang | first18=Wen | last19=Yeom | first19=Jihyeon | last20=Collins | first20=Joe | last21=Welkhoff | first21=Philip A. | last22=Karchin | first22=Ari | last23=Tse | first23=Megan | last24=Gao | first24=Mingyuan | last25=Bawendi | first25=Moungi G. | last26=Langer | first26=Robert | last27=Jaklenec | first27=Ana | journal=Science Translational Medicine | volume=11 | issue=523 | pmid=31852802 | pmc=7532118 }} the chip is just pressed against the skin with a finger to make the needles prick the skin, then the vaccine coating and fluorescent ink are transferred from the needles into skin, then the chip itself is disposed. The ink is meant to leave a tattoo that could be visualized by irradiating the dye with the light of certain wavelengths, this way allowing to check if the tattoo was made, which is useful in the contexts when vaccination is compulsory and using more low-cost and secure alternatives like database lookups of ID card or biometrics is infeasible due to lack of infrastructure like power grid and Internet connectivity. So the chip is neither meant to be implanted, nor can physically fit into a syringe needle, as the conspiracy theory suggests.{{Cite news |date=2020-05-29 |title=Coronavirus: Bill Gates 'microchip' conspiracy theory and other vaccine claims fact-checked |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/52847648 |access-date=2022-04-10}}

Fueled by misinformation, anti-vaccination activism is on the rise on social media and in many countries.{{cite news |last1=DiResta |first1=Renée |title=Anti-vaxxers Think This Is Their Moment |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/campaign-against-vaccines-already-under-way/617443/ |access-date=2 January 2021 |work=The Atlantic |date=20 December 2020 |language=en |archive-date=31 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231175844/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/campaign-against-vaccines-already-under-way/617443/ |url-status=live }} Research has shown that viewing a website containing vaccine misinformation for 5–10 minutes decreases a person's intention to vaccinate.{{cite journal|last1=Betsch|first1=Cornelia|last2=Renkewitz|first2=Frank|last3=Betsch|first3=Tilmann|last4=Ulshöfer|first4=Corina|date=26 March 2010|title=The Influence of Vaccine-critical Websites on Perceiving Vaccination Risks|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1359105309353647|url-status=live|format=PDF|journal=Journal of Health Psychology|volume=15|issue=3|pages=446–455|doi=10.1177/1359105309353647|pmid=20348365|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122051540/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1359105309353647|archive-date=22 January 2021|access-date=2 January 2021|s2cid=26304512|url-access=subscription}}{{cite journal |last1=Chou |first1=Wen-Ying Sylvia |last2=Oh |first2=April |last3=Klein |first3=William M. P. |title=Addressing Health-Related Misinformation on Social Media |journal=JAMA |date=18 December 2018 |volume=320 |issue=23 |pages=2417–2418 |doi=10.1001/jama.2018.16865 |pmid=30428002 |s2cid=53441888 |url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2715795 |access-date=2 January 2021 |language=en |issn=0098-7484 |archive-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122214006/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2715795 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} A 2020 study found that "large proportions of the content about vaccines on popular social media sites are anti-vaccination messages." It further found that there is a significant relationship between joining vaccine hesitant groups on social media and openly casting doubts in public about vaccine safety, as well as a substantial relationship between foreign disinformation campaigns and declining vaccination coverage.{{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=Steven Lloyd |last2=Wiysonge |first2=Charles |title=Social media and vaccine hesitancy |journal=BMJ Global Health |date=1 October 2020 |volume=5 |issue=10 |pages=e004206 |doi=10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004206 |pmid=33097547 |pmc=7590343 |language=en |issn=2059-7908|doi-access=free }}

In 2003, rumors about polio vaccines intensified vaccine hesitancy in Nigeria and led to a five-fold increase in the number of polio cases in the country over three years.{{cite web |title=Vaccine Hesitancy, an Escalating Danger in Africa {{!}} Think Global Health |url=https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/vaccine-hesitancy-escalating-danger-africa |website=Council on Foreign Relations |date=17 December 2019 |access-date=2 January 2021 |language=en |archive-date=20 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220112250/https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/vaccine-hesitancy-escalating-danger-africa |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Wiysonge |first1=Charles Shey |title=How ending polio in Africa has had positive spinoffs for public health |url=https://theconversation.com/how-ending-polio-in-africa-has-had-positive-spinoffs-for-public-health-148857 |website=The Conversation |date=3 November 2020 |access-date=2 January 2021 |language=en |archive-date=20 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220112250/https://theconversation.com/how-ending-polio-in-africa-has-had-positive-spinoffs-for-public-health-148857 |url-status=live }} A 2021 study found that misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on social media "induced a decline in intent [to vaccinate] of 6.2 percentage points in the [United Kingdom] and 6.4 percentage points in the [United States] among those who said they would definitely accept a vaccine".{{Cite journal|last1=Loomba|first1=Sahil|last2=de Figueiredo|first2=Alexandre|last3=Piatek|first3=Simon J.|last4=de Graaf|first4=Kristen|last5=Larson|first5=Heidi J.|date=5 February 2021|title=Measuring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on vaccination intent in the UK and USA|journal=Nature Human Behaviour|volume=5|issue=3|pages=337–348|doi=10.1038/s41562-021-01056-1|pmid=33547453|s2cid=232160016|doi-access=free}}

Social media is again the leading platform for the rapid spreading of vaccine misinformation during a pandemic. For example, A study in 2020 of public opinions about the developing Chinese domestic COVID-19 vaccines found around one-fifth of the post on weibo related to the vaccine claimed that the COVID-19 vaccines are generally overpriced, even though they are later being administered totally free. Many people in China also hold the belief that inactive vaccines are safer than the newly developed mRNA vaccine of SARS-Covid-2. The cause of this might be a combination of national pride and a lack of understanding of vaccine literacy.{{Cite journal |last1=Yin |first1=Fulian |last2=Wu |first2=Zhaoliang |last3=Xia |first3=Xinyu |last4=Ji |first4=Meiqi |last5=Wang |first5=Yanyan |last6=Hu |first6=Zhiwen |date=2021-01-15 |title=Unfolding the Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in China |url=https://www.jmir.org/2021/1/e26089 |journal=Journal of Medical Internet Research |language=EN |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=e26089 |doi=10.2196/26089 |pmc=7813210 |pmid=33400682 |doi-access=free }} 

In general, misinformation related to the COVID-19 vaccine reduced public confidence. Public acceptance of Chinese domestic COVID-19 vaccines dropped significantly due to concerns about the possible high cost. An online survey in China showed only 28.7% of the participants expressed definite interest in getting the vaccine. Most people (54.6%) held some hesitancy toward the vaccine.{{Cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=Yulan |last2=Hu |first2=Zhijian |last3=Zhao |first3=Qinjian |last4=Alias |first4=Haridah |last5=Danaee |first5=Mahmoud |last6=Wong |first6=Li Ping |date=2020-12-17 |title=Understanding COVID-19 vaccine demand and hesitancy: A nationwide online survey in China |journal=PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |language=en |volume=14 |issue=12 |pages=e0008961 |doi=10.1371/journal.pntd.0008961 |issn=1935-2735 |pmc=7775119 |pmid=33332359 |doi-access=free }}  

After repeated exposure to misinformation - for example through social media-, individuals might hold misinformed mental models of the function, risk, and purpose of vaccines. The longer an individual holds misinformation, the more staunchly rooted it becomes in their mental model, making its correction and retraction all the more difficult.{{Cite journal |last1=Ecker |first1=Ullrich K.H. |last2=Lewandowsky |first2=Stephan |last3=Cheung |first3=Candy S.C. |last4=Maybery |first4=Murray T. |date=November 2015 |title=He did it! She did it! No, she did not! Multiple causal explanations and the continued influence of misinformation |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0749596X15001035 |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Memory and Language |language=en |volume=85 |pages=101–115 |doi=10.1016/j.jml.2015.09.002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218203539/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0749596X15001035 |archive-date=18 December 2020 |access-date=29 March 2021}} Over time, these models may become integral to a vaccine hesitant individual's worldview. People are likely to filter any new information they receive to fit their preexisting worldview{{Cite journal |last=Kunda |first=Ziva |date=1990 |title=The case for motivated reasoning. |url=http://doi.apa.org/getdoi.cfm?doi=10.1037/0033-2909.108.3.480 |journal=Psychological Bulletin |language=en |volume=108 |issue=3 |pages=480–498 |doi=10.1037/0033-2909.108.3.480 |issn=1939-1455 |pmid=2270237 |s2cid=9703661|url-access=subscription }}{{snd}}corrective vaccine facts are no exception to this motivated reasoning. Thus, by the time vaccine hesitant individuals arrive at the doctor's office, healthcare workers face an uphill battle. If they seek to change minds and maintain herd immunity against preventable diseases, they must do more than simply present facts about vaccines. Providers need communication strategies that effectively change minds and behavior.

File:NIHR-Infographic-vaccine-misinformation.png

Communication strategies to counter vaccine misinformation and effectively improve the intention to vaccinate include communicating the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective, using humour to dispel vaccine myths, and providing vaccine misinformation warnings. Compared to these, debunking vaccine misinformation and providing vaccine education materials work less in tackling misinformation. Scare tactics, and failing to acknowledge uncertainty is not effective, and can even backfire and worsen the intention to vaccinate.{{Cite journal |last1=Whitehead |first1=Hannah S. |last2=French |first2=Clare E. |last3=Caldwell |first3=Deborah M. |last4=Letley |first4=Louise |last5=Mounier-Jack |first5=Sandra |date=2023-01-27 |title=A systematic review of communication interventions for countering vaccine misinformation |journal=Vaccine |language=en |volume=41 |issue=5 |pages=1018–1034 |doi=10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.12.059 |issn=0264-410X |pmc=9829031 |pmid=36628653}}{{Cite journal |date=13 July 2023 |title=How to tackle vaccine misinformation: what works and what doesn't? |url=https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/how-to-tackle-vaccine-misinformation-what-works-and-what-doesnt/ |journal=NIHR Evidence |doi=10.3310/nihrevidence_58944 |s2cid=259888341|url-access=subscription }}

Research shows that science communicators should directly counter misinformation because of its negative influence on silent audience who are observing the vaccine debate, but not engaging in it.{{cite journal |last1=Steffens |first1=Maryke S. |last2=Dunn |first2=Adam G. |last3=Wiley |first3=Kerrie E. |last4=Leask |first4=Julie |date=23 October 2019 |title=How organisations promoting vaccination respond to misinformation on social media: a qualitative investigation |journal=BMC Public Health |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=1348 |doi=10.1186/s12889-019-7659-3 |issn=1471-2458 |pmc=6806569 |pmid=31640660 |doi-access=free}} The refutations to vaccine-related misinformation should be straightforward in order to avoid emphasizing misinformation. It is useful to pair scientific evidence with stories that connect to the belief and value system of the audience.

Interventions for parents/caregivers who make decisions about their children's vaccination are vital. Given the complexity of this problem, effective evidence-based strategies have yet to be identified. Although many wish to provide families with as much corrective information as possible, this often has unintended consequences. One study in 2013 tested four separate interventions to correct MMR vaccine misinformation and promote parental behavioral change: (1) Provide information explaining lack of evidence that MMR causes autism. (2) Present textual information about the dangers of measles, mumps, and rubella. (3) Show images of children with measles, mumps and rubella. (4) Provide a dramatic written narrative about an infant who became deathly ill from measles.{{Cite journal|last1=Nyhan|first1=B.|last2=Reifler|first2=J.|last3=Richey|first3=S.|last4=Freed|first4=G. L.|date=1 April 2014|title=Effective Messages in Vaccine Promotion: A Randomized Trial|url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2013-2365|journal=Pediatrics|language=en|volume=133|issue=4|pages=e835–e842|doi=10.1542/peds.2013-2365|pmid=24590751|s2cid=6096939|issn=0031-4005|access-date=29 March 2021|archive-date=13 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713003331/https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/133/4/e835|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}} Before and after each intervention, researchers measured parents' belief in the vaccine/autism misperception, their intent to vaccinate future children, and their general risk perception of the vaccine. They found that none of the interventions increased parental intent to vaccinate.

Instead, the first intervention (1) reduced misperceptions about autism, but still decreased parents' intent to vaccinate future children. Notably, this effect was significant among parents who were already the most vaccine-hesitant. This shows that corrective information may backfire. Motivated reasoning could be the mechanism behind this dynamic{{snd}}no matter how many facts are provided, parents still sift through them to selectively find those that support their worldview. While the corrective information can have an effect on a specific belief, ultimately vaccine-hesitant parents often use this additional information to strengthen their original behavioral intent. Interventions three and four increased the vaccine/autism misperception and increased belief in serious vaccine side effects, respectively. This can be attributed to a potential danger priming effect{{snd}}when pushed into a fearful state, parents misattribute this fear to the vaccine itself, rather than the diseases it prevents. In all cases, the facts included had little, if not counterproductive effect on future behaviors.

This work has important implications for future research. First, the study's findings revealed a disparity between beliefs and intentions{{snd}}even as specific misperceptions are corrected, behavior may not change. Since reaching herd immunity for preventable diseases requires promoting a behavior{{snd}}vaccination{{snd}}it is important for future research to measure behavioral intent, rather than just beliefs. Second, it is imperative for all health messaging to be tested before its widespread use. Society does not necessarily know the behavioral impacts of communication interventions{{snd}}they may have unintended consequences on different groups. In the case of correcting vaccine misinformation and changing vaccination behaviors, much more research is still needed to identify effective communication strategies.

Several governmental agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States and National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom have dedicated webpages for addressing vaccine-related misinformation.{{cite web |date=31 July 2019 |title=Why vaccination is safe and important |url=https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/why-vaccination-is-safe-and-important/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102083743/https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/why-vaccination-is-safe-and-important/ |archive-date=2 January 2021 |access-date=2 January 2021 |website=nhs.uk |language=en}}{{cite web |date=25 August 2020 |title=Questions and Concerns {{!}} Vaccine Safety {{!}} CDC |url=https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102194246/https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/index.html |archive-date=2 January 2021 |access-date=2 January 2021 |website=www.cdc.gov |language=en-us}}

Pinterest was one of the first social media platforms to surface only trustworthy information from reliable sources on their vaccine related searches back in 2019.{{Cite web |date=28 August 2019 |title=Pinterest's new vaccine search will offer something rare on social media: facts |url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/28/pinterest-anti-vaccine-combat-health-misinformation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509064304/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/28/pinterest-anti-vaccine-combat-health-misinformation |archive-date=9 May 2021 |access-date=8 May 2021 |website=The Guardian |language=en}} In 2020, Facebook announced that it would no longer allow anti-vaccination advertisements on its platform.{{cite news |last1=Isaac |first1=Mike |date=13 October 2020 |title=Facebook Bans Anti-Vaccination Ads, Clamping Down Again |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/technology/facebook-bans-anti-vaccination-ads.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101175425/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/technology/facebook-bans-anti-vaccination-ads.html |archive-date=1 January 2021 |access-date=2 January 2021 |work=The New York Times}} Facebook also said it would elevate posts from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other NGOs, in order to increase immunization rates through public health campaigns.{{Cite web |date=2020-10-13 |title=Supporting Public Health Experts’ Vaccine Efforts |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/10/supporting-public-health-experts-vaccine-efforts/#:~:text=Insights%20for%20Impact,%20which%20is,people%20are%20talking%20about%20vaccines. |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=Meta |language=en-US}} In April 22, Meta announced that its collaboration with UNICEF had reached more than 150 million people with information about the COVID-19 vaccine via online outreach campaigns in several countries.{{Cite news |title=New lessons learned in building COVID-19 vaccine acceptance {{!}} Meta Research |url=https://research.facebook.com/blog/2022/4/new-lessons-learned-in-building-covid-19-vaccine-acceptance/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240527213324/https://research.facebook.com/blog/2022/4/new-lessons-learned-in-building-covid-19-vaccine-acceptance/ |archive-date=2024-05-27 |access-date=2025-04-05 |work=Meta Research |language=en-US}} Twitter announced that it would put a warning label on tweets containing disputed or unsubstantiated rumors about vaccination and require users to remove tweets that spread false information about vaccines.{{cite news |last1=Lerman |first1=Rachel |title=Vaccine hoaxes are rampant on social media. Here's how to spot them. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/18/faq-coronavirus-vaccine-misinformation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229181740/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/18/faq-coronavirus-vaccine-misinformation/ |archive-date=29 December 2020 |access-date=2 January 2021 |newspaper=Washington Post}} TikTok announced that it would start directing people to official health sources when they search for vaccine related information. By December 2020, YouTube had removed more than 700,000 videos containing misinformation related to COVID-19.

Vaccination has enabled the reduction of most vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g. polio has been eradicated in every country except Afghanistan and Pakistan). However, some are still prevalent and even cause epidemics in some parts of the world. If the affected population is not protected by vaccination, the disease can quickly spread from country to country. Vaccines not only protect individuals, but also lead to herd immunity if a sufficient number of people in the population have taken the vaccine.{{cite web |title=What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations? {{!}} CDC |url=https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=3 January 2021 |language=en-us |date=28 September 2020 |archive-date=13 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513001114/https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm |url-status=live }}

Eradication is the permanent elimination of an infectious disease worldwide through deliberate efforts, rendering further intervention measures unnecessary. To date, the only disease that has been successfully eradicated is smallpox. Poliomyelitis was targeted for eradication by the year 2000, and significant progress was made towards this goal, with the Western Hemisphere being declared polio-free and over a year having passed without any reported cases in the Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization. An examination of the technical feasibility of eradicating other diseases preventable by vaccines currently available in the United States suggests that measles, hepatitis B, mumps, rubella, and possibly Haemophilus influenzae type b are potential candidates for eradication. From a practical standpoint, measles appears to be the most likely candidate for the next eradication effort. Despite the challenges, eradication represents the ultimate achievement in sustainability and social justice, and even if eradication is not possible, significant improvements in control can still be made with existing vaccines and new and improved vaccines may offer further possibilities in the future.{{cite journal | doi=10.1146/annurev.publhealth.20.1.211 | title=Eradication of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases | date=1999 | last1=Hinman | first1=A. | journal=Annual Review of Public Health | volume=20 | pages=211–229 | pmid=10352857 }}

• COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy

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Category:Misinformation

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