Did you ever wonder exactly who it was showing up to protest vaccines at state capitols during the height of COVID-19? Are you perplexed by the increased visibility of anti-vaccine beliefs in the United States? We might have the start of an answer to these questions.
Stop by our panel at the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences Research Talks - a Conference within a Conference at #MPSA2026 - next Friday, April 24th, 1:30 to 3:00 PM.
Our paper "The Politics of Vaccine Activism in the United States: Conspiracy, Grievance, and the Asymmetry of Mobilization", co-authored with Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Timothy Callaghan, PhD, Dominik Stecuła, Dror Walter, Yotam Ophir, Ph.D., and Matt Motta, asks who engages in vaccine-related political activism? And what drives them to do so?
Two findings stand out. (1) A clear asymmetry in who engages in activism related to vaccines: Anti-vaccine respondents are only 15% of our sample but account for more than a third of all activists, while pro-vaccine respondents are politically indistinguishable from those with no views at all. (2) The engine behind that gap? Conspiratorial worldviews, not partisan identity.
If you are interested in vaccine politics, political participation, or health misinformation, stop by. And if you can stick around after, we hope you will join the APLS crew for the Roundtable and Reception: "Life Sciences Research in a Second Trump Administration: Challenges, Solutions, and Persistence."
Notre proposition « Désinformation Vaccinale: Curation, Observatoire, Littératies » a été retenue pour le séminaire annuel de l’Académie des Controverses et de la Communication Sensible, intitulé « La désinformation : nouvelles formes, nouveaux défis », qui s'est tenu à Paris le mardi 26 novembre 2024.
Voir ci-après posts du 27 novembre, avec lien vers la présentation sur Slideshare.
Présentation le 20 mars 2025 à InfoxsurSeine deux jours pour décrypter la désinformation et échanger autour des solutions. Quels outils concrets face aux manipulations de l’information et à l’essor de l’IA générative ?
Avez vous acheté le numéro Juillet/septembre 2025 de la RECHERCHE sur LE FAUX?
des sujets à approfondir
- Vaccins et argent Making money with vaccines, against vaccines
le sujet le plus chaud, de 3,36 euros par mois à 300 millions de dollars?
- Publications vraies et fausses particulièrement difficile
- Obligations, exemptions, incitations, peut-être plus simple?
The topic addresses Fake news as a global problem, extracting material focusing on vaccinations, vaccination hesitancy and anti-vax attitudes. The subject is evolving constantly with health consequences all over the world.
This topic became a research action project at CREM (Centre de Recherche sur les médiations)
Ir covers not only Fake News still thriving on the internet,
but also efforts of many (supranational bodies, scientific societies, researchers...) to improve health literacies of laypeople, and medical students on this sensitive topic...
Fake News related to Covid and Vaccinations slightly decreased compared to other topics such as ukrainian war, gaza war, and politics in USA even sports related informations... but the involvement of politicians in the topic very much increased !
Unfortunately, as Jonathan Swift so eloquently said: Reasoning will never make a man correct an ill opinion, which by reasoning he never acquired.
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.” — Daniel J. Boorstin
Ashna Shome, a pediatrics resident in the Bronx who lives with cerebral palsy, explains why anti-vax rhetoric functions as ableism and connects it to federal cuts to Medicaid, WIC, and disability access already reshaping clinical care. Search "The Podcast by KevinMD" wherever you listen to podcasts. Link in bio.
We covered this back in April when news broke that the report was being "delayed." It's now been officially canceled.
A completed CDC report showing the COVID vaccine reduced ER visits by about 50% and hospitalizations by 55% in healthy adults last winter will not be published, despite having cleared internal scientific review and being scheduled for March 19 in the MMWR, the CDC's primary vehicle for public health data and findings. The acting CDC director blocked publication, citing concerns about the methodology.
As discussed when this first surfaced, the methodology in question is called a test-negative design, and there's a reason it has become the standard for measuring vaccine effectiveness over the past two decades. Randomized controlled trials sound more rigorous on paper, but for an already-recommended vaccine, they're both logistically impractical and ethically complicated, because you can't ask people to accept a placebo for something they're already advised to get. Test-negative design works differently by looking at people already sick enough to seek care, testing them, and comparing vaccination rates between those who test positive and those who don't. Starting at the point of care controls for a real confounding problem, since people who seek medical attention are systematically different from those who don't. The approach has known limitations that researchers account for, and it's been published in NEJM, JAMA, and the Lancet for years.
The flu vaccine effectiveness report published in the same MMWR one week earlier used this exact method, and no concerns were raised.
That inconsistency is what should concern everyone, regardless of where you land on COVID vaccines specifically. We stopped doing placebo-controlled trials for recommended vaccines largely for ethical reasons, and you don't withhold a recommended intervention from half your study population to satisfy a methodological preference. That's moving the goalposts until the finding disappears. The people now raising these objections know that, or they should. Burying evidence on inconsistent grounds does real damage at a moment when public trust in vaccines is already eroding.
Nature Magazine 🛑 70% believe at least one unproven claim about vaccines, raw milk, fluoride, animal protein, autism and more - according to an Edelman Trust Institute survey of 16,000+ people across 16 countries.
"The results hint that a large, and potentially growing, number of people are questioning scientific evidence."
"For each statement, between 25% and 32% of respondents said they believed it, and another sizeable percentage (17–39%) said they didn’t know whether it was true. In total, 70% of respondents believed at least one of the claims."
"The result “blows the lid off of this idea” that such beliefs are held by only a fringe population of individuals who are uninformed or ideologically driven, says David Bersoff, head of research at the Edelman Trust Institute. “This is not like a small problematic group.”
“There has definitely been a growing number of people who question widely accepted scientific evidence,” agrees Heidi Larson, who studies confidence in vaccines at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “It’s important to pay attention to.”
"This year, a survey from KFF, a non-profit health-policy research organization in San Francisco, California, found that 34% of adults in the United States thought it was definitely or probably true that taking Tylenol (paracetamol) during pregnancy increases the risk of the child developing autism, even though scientific evidence does not support the link."
"That claim, and some others mentioned in the Edelman survey, have been supported by US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and the wider Make America Healthy Again movement. But the study results suggest that such beliefs extend well beyond the United States. In most countries surveyed — including Brazil, South Africa, India, Germany and the United Kingdom — at least 50% of people believed one or more of the “divisive” health statements."
"It’s important not to patronize or dismiss people who might be challenging established perspectives for a wide variety of legitimate reasons, adds Strong. If scientists and scientific institutions don’t communicate in a way that’s accessible and helpful — on social media, for example, “then people will seek out other sources of information and evidence”.
Article by Helen Pearson + Report linked in the comments 👇 | 27 comments on LinkedIn
Did you know that the government tracks reported cases of vaccine side effects through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)? Approximately 33 cases of permanent death or injury from the varicella vaccine are reported to VAERS annually.
However, VAERS is a passive reporting system - authorities don’t actively search for cases of vaccine injury from the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine or actively remind doctors and the public to report cases. These limitations can lead to severe underreporting of vaccine injury from the varicella vaccine.
Learn more here about the risks of the varicella vaccine here: picdata.org/varicella-vrs
A new scoping review suggests the answer depends heavily on incidence, setting, delivery strategy, and whose costs are included.
Conducted by researchers at the KEMRI - Wellcome Trust, with contributions from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, The University Of Zambia (UNZA) and the University of Oxford, the review brings together 26 studies on the economics and public health impact of typhoid conjugate vaccine.
Key findings: 📊 The cost of typhoid illness can be substantial, especially for hospitalized patients 💰 Vaccination campaigns often cost more than routine delivery 🌍 TCV strategies showed stronger cost-effectiveness in high-incidence and urban settings ⚖️ Some vaccination strategies were reported as cost-saving 🧠 Reviews of existing studies still miss important elements like herd immunity, AMR, and longer-term impact
For decision-makers, this is a useful synthesis of what is known — and where more context-specific evidence is still needed.
Did you know that all exposure to injected or ingested aluminum is through aluminum compounds? Go here for more information on aluminum in vaccines: picdata.org/aluminum
Everyday infections, not vaccines, are linked to an increased risk of childhood stroke
Childhood stroke is a rare but serious medical event, and recent evidence suggests that everyday illnesses might increase the risk of it occurring.
A recent study published in Neurology indicates that children who experience an infection have a higher chance of suffering a stroke shortly afterward, while recent vaccinations show no such association.
These findings highlight the importance of infection prevention to help protect the vascular health of young people.
Merci à Mylène Girardeau et à TV5MONDE pour cette excellente présentation des résultats de notre étude dans la chronique #AVraiDire, j'ai été ravi d'y être interviewé.
La vidéo est synthétique : je vous encourage à la regarder si vous souhaitez une introduction aux résultats de notre second rapport SIMODS.
More than two-thirds of the public believe at least one false or unproven health claim — such as the idea that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism — a new survey finds. The results hint that a large, and potentially growing, number of people are questioning scientific evidence.
The survey, of more than 16,000 people across 16 countries, asked whether they believed claims that are not supported by research, including that the ‘risk of childhood vaccinations outweighs benefits’, ‘fluoride in water is harmful’ and ‘raw milk is healthier than pasteurized’.
For each statement, between 25% and 32% of respondents said they believed it, and another sizeable percentage (17–39%) said they didn’t know whether it was true. In total, 70% of respondents believed at least one of the claims.
Check out this FIP-Seal approved programme by Immunize.io. The programme helps address commonly asked questions about COVID-19 and vaccination strategies, which are essential for pharmacists involved in large-scale immunisation efforts globally. It aims to enhance professional development, medicinal expertise, and communicable disease management among pharmacists, ensuring they are well-equipped to deliver quality vaccination services. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dmXUE6zN
European Immunisation Week is a good occasion to be reminded about the key role that immunisation plays in preventing diseases and protecting lives.
This year’s theme, “for every generation, vaccines work,” highlights how vaccines have safely protected people, families and communities for generations – and will continue to do so.
HaDEA is managing EU-funded projects working on improving vaccine uptake and literacy and advancing vaccine development.
Discover a selection of these projects and how they contribute to making the EU better prepared for potential future disease outbreaks: https://lnkd.in/ePy6EVMX
*Liberté bafouée, Kokopelli soutient Christelle Record et la paysannerie ! ✊* Cher Monsieur le préfet, J’ai été très surprise, et même choquée, de découvrir sur le compte Facebook de votre préfecture un texte qui commence par : « Lutte contre la désinformation et dépôt de plaintes suite à des menaces proférées à l’encontre d’agents publics et vétérinaires libéraux. » En effet, je suis surprise car j’ai moi-même fait l’objet – à de nombreuses reprises – d’intimidations et de menaces (allant jusqu’à la garde à vue) si je ne cédais pas à la vaccination forcée de mes 30 vaches, en parfaite santé et élevées dans des conditions sanitaires optimales. Mon parcours de soin et de santé global, exemplaire, se base sur la maîtrise du microbiote de mes animaux, et l’équilibre de ce système ne saurait souffrir de l’introduction forcée de chimie. Dès lors, cher Monsieur, mon refus de la vaccination est légitime et n’a rien à voir avec une supposée idéologie « anti-vax ». Je suis surprise car je n’ai, pour ma part, menacé personne, si ce n’est peut-être sous le coup de la colère – et de la tristesse de voir disparaître sous mes yeux plus de 10 ans de travail – lorsque, maintenue par quatre gendarmes en armes, je tentais de faire barrage de mon corps pour empêcher le fléchage d’un petit veau. Et enfin, je suis surprise, car j’ai moi-même été contrainte, forcée, bousculée, menacée dans le cadre de cette démonstration de force visant à contraindre ma micro-exploitation vertueuse à se plier à des règles sanitaires hors sol. Mon seul tort fut ma volonté inébranlable de préserver le fruit d’années de travail sur mon cheptel. Et pour ce tort, j’ai été traitée comme une criminelle, car je rappelle que, sous vos ordres et sous la supervision de vos rapports directs – la sous- préfète Sophie Pauzat, M. Frédéric Pujol et M. Nicolas Bastié –, c’est un véritable siège militaire qui s’est tenu sur ma ferme : • pas loin de 130 gendarmes en armes ; • neuf camions de gendarmes, dont un camion spécialisé en télécommunications ; • le peloton du PSIG Ariège ; • un ou plusieurs drones à vision thermique ; • des motards de route et des motards tout-terrain. Il ne manquait plus que les centaures, les hélicoptères et, pourquoi pas, les sous-marins pour être au complet. M. Hervé Brabant 2 rue de la Préfecture 09007 Foix Baulou, le 21/04/2026 Vous avez même fait bloquer la D117 pendant une journée entière, créant le chaos pour des milliers de personnes qui y circulent quotidiennement. Je ne m’étendrai pas sur les pertes financières que vous avez engendrées pour mon commerce « L’épicerie d’ici... » avec ce blocus. Et après tout cela, vous vous offusquez pour des publications sur Internet faites par des gens sympathisants de la cause paysanne, dont l’émoi a été déclenché par l’extrême violence des événements et des actions commises par les forces de l’ordre et les vétérinaires armés de fusils hypodermiques. Et si je n’approuve ni les violences physiques ni verbales, d’où qu’elles viennent, je tiens à rappeler que Maître Protat n’a eu de cesse de rappeler, tout au long de cette journée, à celles et ceux qui agissaient sous vos ordres qu’ils engageaient, ce faisant, leur responsabilité individuelle et personnelle. Maître Protat a d’ailleurs répété à plusieurs reprises aux vétérinaires libéraux : « J’essaie de vous protéger également. » De nombreuses vidéos en témoignent. Avez-vous pris le temps, Monsieur le préfet, de regarder les images qui circulent actuellement jusque dans les pays limitrophes, tant elles sont outrageusement violentes ? Et si nous parlions maintenant de la « désinformation » ? Quand, devant le tribunal administratif de Toulouse, jeudi dernier, votre sous-préfète assure que quatre veaux issus d’un troupeau non vacciné en Sardaigne sont morts de la DNC, a-t-elle vérifié l’information au préalable ? Ou fait-elle de la désinformation auprès du juge ? Car, selon le ministère italien de la Santé lui-même, les quatre veaux en question étaient bel et bien nés d’un troupeau vacciné. Mais d’ailleurs, la désinformation en commencerait-elle pas par la volonté de ne pas informer ? Car je vous ai questionné par écrit à propos des vaccinations, démarrées dans l’urgence et la panique chez les éleveurs à la suite de l’abattage total de l’élevage de Moriscou, qui n’ont pas fait l’objet d’informations préalables permettant un consentement éclairé. Et vous m’avez répondu : « ... Ces données (nom du vaccin, date du vaccin) sont normalement accessibles par les éleveurs auprès de leurs vétérinaires... » Vous vous cachez derrière les vétérinaires que vous prétendez maintenant défendre par de vains dépôts de plainte.
The below page is from the official final report for the Salk clinical trial conducted in 1954 that expressly explains what the control group received in that trial.
Since LinkedIn has censored two of my recent posts that (apparently dared to) wrote what the control group received, I won’t write what it was or was not -- I will just let you read it for yourself. And here is a link to the full official report: https://lnkd.in/gnWF3yEi
When you do, note that the FDA, in its guidance regarding placebo trials, states: “Placebos, defined as inert substances with no pharmacologic activity…” https://lnkd.in/gHcyNvUs Also see this FDA source: “placebo control … group that receives an inert treatment…” https://lnkd.in/g_UERfuh Or per the CDC, “A substance or treatment that has no effect on living beings.” http://9https//https://lnkd.in/gHTxbSSh | 15 comments on LinkedIn
💉 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞́𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐚 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 : renforcer son impact face à l’hésitation, rendez-vous le 5 mai !
L’Agence régionale de santé (ARS) Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes et le Gérontopôle AURA organisent deux webinaires à destination des professionnels de santé à l'occasion de la SEV 2026 qui a lieu du 4 au 8 mai.
👉 L’URPS Pharmaciens AuRA interviendra lors du second webinaire le mardi 5 mai 2026 de 13h à 14h 🎯 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐫 𝐮𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 ?
Comment mieux communiquer auprès des personnes hésitantes face à la vaccination ? 🎤 Pr Elisabeth Botelho-Nevers (CHU de Saint-Etienne)
Jouer, faire jouer pour mieux vacciner 🎤 Pr Amandine Gagneux-Brunon (CHU de Saint-Etienne)
Premier bilan de l’expérimentation PharmavaxAuRA 🎤 Dr Olivier Rozaire & Dr Daniel-Jean Rigaud (URPS Pharmaciens AuRA)
Je propose de fact-checker non pas un énième post antivax, mais ce post de Prescrire qui a été posté sur Facebook (à l'adresse : https://lnkd.in/d-tCiGNR)
- Prescrire ne fournit aucune source, ce qui ne permet pas de déterminer sur quoi se base leur position.
- Le risque de transmission d'un rotavirus sauvage par un nourrisson non-vacciné à une personne immunodéprimée doit être mis en balance avec le risque de transmission de la souche atténuée vaccinale d'un nourrisson vacciné (simple exercice intellectuel de logique).
- J'ai cherché dans la littérature scientifique et je n'ai pas trouvé de cas documenté de contact immunosupprimé ayant eu des événements de santé suite à l'exposition à la souche vaccinale d'un nourrisson vacciné.
Les agences de santé qui se sont intéressées à ce sujet sont unanimes :
- Ministère de la santé australien : "Le très faible risque de transmission du virus vaccinal du rotavirus peut être minimisé par une hygiène des mains rigoureuse après tout contact avec le nourrisson vacciné, notamment après avoir manipulé des selles (par exemple lors du change) et avant la préparation des repas. L’avantage de protéger les personnes immunodéprimées contre le rotavirus naturel en vaccinant les nourrissons du foyer l’emporte sur le risque théorique de transmission du virus vaccinal ." Source : https://lnkd.in/dmWJKNnq
- CDC (USA) : "Les nourrissons vivant dans un même foyer avec une personne immunodéprimée peuvent être vaccinés. La protection indirecte conférée à la personne immunodéprimée par la vaccination du nourrisson est supérieure au faible risque de transmission du virus vaccinal à cette personne." Source : https://lnkd.in/dK5SyzT6
- Ministère de la Santé du Québec : "Vacciner les nourrissons vivant avec des personnes immunodéprimées. Le risque d’infection naturelle chez les contacts immunodéprimés dépasse le risque théorique de transmission du virus vaccinal qui peut être excrété dans les selles des enfants vaccinés pendant une dizaine de jours suivant la vaccination." Source : https://lnkd.in/dxgUiBuT
- Health Security Agency (UK) : Anderson a signalé qu'il existe un risque de transmission du virus vivant atténué contenu dans le vaccin Rotarix du nourrisson aux personnes immunodéprimées par voie fécale pendant au moins 14 jours. Cependant, la vaccination du nourrisson protégera les membres de son foyer contre la rotavirus sauvage et ce risque est supérieur à celui de la transmission du virus vaccinal à toute personne immunodéprimée en contact étroit avec le nourrisson." Source : https://lnkd.in/dc6jKw2B
- Anderson (cité par le UK Health): "le risque de transmission vaccinale et de maladie post-vaccinale subséquente avec les vaccins actuels est beaucoup moins élevé que le risque de maladie à rotavirus sauvage chez les personnes immunodéprimées en contact avec le virus, la vaccination devrait être encouragée" Source dans les com
La France est le deuxième pays européen en termes de coercition vaccinale infantile, avec 12 vaccins à injecter dans des corps à l'immunité incomplète. l'Allemagne et la Suède ont 1 vaccin obligatoire, les autres sont seulement recommandés.
Une décision prise en 2017 par Agnès Buzyn, l'amie des labos, contre l'avis du comité Fischer. Il est aujourd'hui possible de signer une pétition de l'Assemblée nationale contre cette obligation.
#Immunisation is a key pillar of public health, but its impact goes far beyond health. It plays a critical role in preserving workforce productivity, supporting economic stability and strengthening health security.
Did you watch RFK Jr repeatedly challenge Sen Ben Luján to tell him “one piece of misinformation I’ve ever said. Here are ten things! https://lnkd.in/gGE6ts3D
We asked European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) experts how the agency is supporting European countries and healthcare professionals in protecting the public against vaccine-preventable diseases.
Glimpse: A panel at Hofstra University’s National Public Health Week explored how misinformation, declining public trust, and emerging AI technologies are reshaping public health preparedness, emphasizing the need for credible communication, community-centered messaging, and cautious use of AI in anticipating and managing future health crises.
--- Free articles and analyses on soft counter-extremism, against online hate, and on the theory of mis-/disinformation (usually third-party content).
The most recent LinkedIn posts on the above subjects, with glimpses, can be accessed via: • https://lnkd.in/eBarZAew
Two-week reviews available via the following three Policyinstitute.net websites: • counter-terrorism.org • preventhate.org • strategism.org
The views expressed in this post is that of the author(s) of the source content and do not necessarily represent those of Policyinstitute.net and its staff. While we carefully produce the glimpses to the articles, documents, or recordings that we hyperlink, we are not responsible for textual changes nor for imponderable parts of the original items.
Edelman's Special Report on Health and Trust is out now. Charts that caught my attention when it comes to public health communication:
1) Media is not the go-to source for health information. In fact, its standing has yet to reach pre-COVID-19 levels in many markets. Since 2019, statistically significant declines in 10 of 16 markets. 2) Healthcare providers are operating in a noisy environment where they're competing with creators, AI, and platforms engineered to elevate attention-grabbing content. Plot twist: AI is faring better when it comes to clarity and non-judgmental communication than healthcare providers (HCPs). 3) Doctors are still the most trusted, followed by scientists and medical experts, friends and family, and only then "global health authorities." 4) Respondents say it is increasingly difficult to find the right answers. Elevating health information sans jargon and with care is no longer optional. Interestingly, the more divisive one's health beliefs, the greater the likelihood of following conflicting advice. 5) No surprise here, but health misinformation is widespread. 70% of people believe at least one of six divisive health claims about foods, vaccines, and medicines.
What the report recommends clearly is the need for meeting people where they are, communicating with compassion and clarity and also increasing frequency and matching the many points of contact that users and patients source their information from.
This year's survey has 16,006 respondents across 16 countries, with 1,000+/-respondents per country.
To get content containing either thought or leadership enter:
To get content containing both thought and leadership enter:
To get content containing the expression thought leadership enter:
You can enter several keywords and you can refine them whenever you want. Our suggestion engine uses more signals but entering a few keywords here will rapidly give you great content to curate.
Your new post is loading...
