What do we actually mean when we say "jab", "shot", or "side effects"? These everyday words might seem simple, but the way people use them online reveals a lot about how we perceive #vaccines, and could have real implications for public health communication.

Tomorrow, Zsófia Demjén (UCL) and Elena Semino (Lancaster University) will be sharing findings from the ESRC-funded Quo Vadis project, which used corpus linguistics to analyse millions of posts across Mumsnet, Reddit, Inc., and Twitter/xAI.

Among other things, they'll be exploring:
→ How "jab" and "shot" were used during #COVID19 to contrast different vaccines
→ Why the vague language around "side effects" may be fuelling individual anxieties
→ What all this means for the language we use in public health campaigns

Don't miss this new #HeRiCom network webinar, link in the comments 👇

NIHR School for Public Health Research Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health PHRESH Midlands School of Health Sciences, University of Birmingham
#PublicHealth #Vaccination #Linguistics #ScienceCommunication #HealthCommunication

Image credit: Google Gemini prompt: "gothic clay scene representing a discussion about "what might we mean when we say “Jab”, “Shot”, and “Side Effects” in relation to vaccinations? Informing public health information with evidence from peer-to-peer vaccination discussions"

Marisha Goldhamer writes for AFP fact check on how the uptick in US infant mortality was falsely linked to the Covid-19 vaccination, featuring Unbiased Science CEO Jess Steier. "The idea that the vaccines reshaped infant mortality is not supported by the data, which shows remarkable consistency across pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-vaccination windows." You can read the full article here https://lnkd.in/esaHyjei #VaccineMisinformation #InfantMortality #HealthCommunications

How can this be??? Why wasn't this story picked up by the media? Arguably, the most influential anti mRNA antivaxxer, allegedly the world's most knowledgable expert, is found by a court to lack his claimed qualifications and experience, abruptly resigns, and no one in the media even notices? Do you think this is newsworthy? See comments. | 28 comments on LinkedIn

https://lnkd.in/ebagnrCb
Vaccine package inserts can be unnecessarily frightening.

FDA ordered scientists to withdraw studies accepted by medical journals showing benefits to covid and shingles vaccines because they did not like the results.

Radical transparency in action:


"Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and shingles in recent months, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed.
The studies, which cost millions of dollars in public funds, were conducted by scientists at the agency, who worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records. They found serious side effects to be very rare.
In October, the scientists were directed to withdraw two Covid-19 vaccine studies that had been accepted for publication in medical journals. In February, top F.D.A. officials did not sign off on submitting abstracts about studies of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a major drug safety conference.
The withdrawal of the studies is the latest step by the administration to try to limit access to vaccines. It has sharply cut research funding for vaccine development, released unvetted information casting doubt on vaccines, and blocked other information supporting their safety, most recently a paper on Covid vaccine effectiveness by career scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
https://lnkd.in/gKReDzrT

🛡️ Shielding the Vulnerable: The Impact of Vaccines on HIV-Positive Children

For children living with HIV, the fight for survival extends far beyond managing the virus itself. Their immune systems are already compromised—making even common infections potentially life-threatening.

This is where vaccines become more than a routine intervention. They become a lifeline.

💉 Why vaccines matter even more for HIV-positive children:
Children with HIV are at significantly higher risk of severe complications from preventable diseases like pneumonia, measles, and influenza. (ClinicalInfo)

Vaccines help by:
🔹 Strengthening weakened immune defenses
🔹 Preventing life-threatening opportunistic infections
🔹 Reducing hospitalizations and mortality
🔹 Protecting entire communities through herd immunity

🌍 A critical public health truth:
Even though there is no vaccine yet for HIV itself, immunization against other diseases is essential to keeping HIV-positive children healthy and alive. (hivinfo.nih.gov)

🚸 But the work isn’t simple:
Because HIV affects immune response, vaccine schedules often require careful adaptation—ensuring safety while maximizing protection. (HIV.gov)

💡 What this means for us in the field:
In the communities we serve, every vaccination is an act of protection, dignity, and hope. It is a step toward reducing preventable deaths among the most vulnerable.

As someone working on the frontlines of maternal and child health, I’ve seen firsthand how a single missed vaccine can change the trajectory of a child’s life—and how timely immunization can save it.

✨ Protecting HIV-positive children isn’t optional—it’s urgent.
And vaccines remain one of our most powerful tools to do just that.

#PublicHealth #VaccinesWork #HIVCare #ChildHealth #GlobalHealth #EndMaternalMortality:
#GAVI
#WHO

"Misinformation from top health officials in the Trump administration has created a “crisis of public trust” – and Congress should conduct oversight hearings and possibly impeach officials such as Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a recently released report.

Experts say that officials in the past year have focused intently on both vaccines and autism, including efforts to connect autism to the use of acetaminophen (frequently sold as Tylenol) during pregnancy, despite growing evidence of no link, and replacing all members of the federal autism committee with advisers who have anti-vaccine and pseudoscientific histories.

The first meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) was abruptly postponed in March and rescheduled for Tuesday, the same day the report was published by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).

We detected Aids through a federal early warning system. Trump has decimated it
Read more
The report includes a timeline of all HHS actions taken in the first year of the second Trump administration. Such changes have been “harmful to its mission” and “detrimental to the autistic community”, such as widespread layoffs, reductions in force and terminations, cutting autism research by about $31m, and removing warnings about dangerous and unproven autism treatments from the website of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said Zoe Gross, director of advocacy at ASAN.

“When you look at it, one thing after another, you can really realize how overwhelming it has been for those of us who are in the autism trenches trying to combat this misinformation and stigmatizing language and these bad decisions, as well as how dedicated this government is to spreading misinformation and to pursuing policies that damage public health,” Gross said."
https://lnkd.in/giunuBw6

We all know Secretary Kennedy changed the language about vaccines and autism to cause uncertainty, fear and doubt about vaccines, violating his promise to Senator Cassidy and trick parents into not protecting their children from disease.

Here is a study showing that his effort to mislead parents may be effective.
"...key results:

* Respondents who read the current uncertainty-based statement about autism said they were more uncertain that vaccines are safe and were less inclined to get recommended vaccines compared with people reading the previous statement on autism.
* Those who read the current uncertainty-based statement were also less likely to trust that the CDC was handling critical situations well and correctly. The respondents were more likely to support science-denial strategies such as impossible evidentiary standards and cherry-picking scientific findings.
* The study also employed a control group that read neither of the CDC statements. In this group, survey responses generally fell between those of the uncertainty-based and the consensus-based groups. "
https://lnkd.in/gWJH-UMn



Also: Skeptical Raptor is asking for your help and support to keep going - his blog is self-funded, and costs him. Here is how you can help: https://lnkd.in/gJv88E65

𝐋𝐚 𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐚 𝐝𝐞́𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐥’𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞, 𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐜 𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞́𝐬.

Dans une tribune publiée dans Les Echos, Laura Chaubard (École Polytechnique), Edouard Kaminski (Université Paris Cité) et Luis Vassy (Sciences Po) rappellent un point essentiel : face à l’explosion de la désinformation et aux bouleversements liés à l’IA, la question n’est pas seulement technologique, elle est démocratique.

Leur message est clair :
• Sans réalité vérifiable partagée, il n’y a pas de débat public solide.
• La méthode scientifique, fondée sur la preuve, le doute et la réfutation, est un bien commun.
• Les universités forment les nouvelles générations à cette exigence intellectuelle.
• Les libertés académiques doivent être garanties pour que ce travail puisse se poursuivre.

𝐃𝐞́𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐞 𝐧’𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞́𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
𝐂’𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞́𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐞̂𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞́𝐭𝐞́𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐬.

🖇️ Lire la tribune : https://lnkd.in/eK7V_zdV

Congratulations Ceinwen Jones, AALIA (CP) and the SCIS Data team for another fantastic issue of SCIS Connections! It is a privilege to have contributed my article, How to build a collection for purpose, with purpose. Read this, and the other terrific articles online at https://lnkd.in/g8NbxjBe .

#SchoolLibraries #TeacherLibrarianship #StudentsNeedSchoolLibraries

Failure to investigate the obvious is destroying public trust in science.

#covid #medicine #research | 13 comments on LinkedIn

Can countries afford to delay investment in reaching zero-dose and under-immunized children? ⚖️

This analysis by UNICEF Europe & Central Asia and Triangulate Health Ltd suggests the cost of inaction is substantial.

Across Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, maintaining current coverage levels could lead to over 800,000 preventable cases, around 1,500 deaths, and more than USD 3.4 billion in economic losses by 2035.

Key insights:
💰 For every $1 invested → up to $16–$70 in returns
💼 Most economic losses come from productivity impacts, not healthcare costs
⚙️ Delivery systems—not vaccine supply—are the main bottleneck
🚨 Under-immunization leads to avoidable outbreaks and broader system disruption

The economic burden of under-immunization is driven by unreached populations. Closing last-mile coverage gaps offers high returns and avoids substantial future costs.

👉 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eXwNReF5

Key contributors: Alexei Ceban, Alberto Musatti, Fatima Cengic, Federico Cairoli, Arnold Hagens, Deeksha Parashar, Zicheng Wang, Maria B.

RFK, Jr. is VERY WRONG about vaccines. If an effective vaccine is already in use, it is deeply unethical to test a new vaccine for the same disease against a placebo: it's a fundamental precept of Clinical Trials that patients must not be denied a treatment known to be beneficial. But the lack of placebo-controlled trials doesn't mean we don't have solid evidence that vaccines are safe and effective: we have enormous amounts of data on the benefits of vaccines.


https://lnkd.in/deDCi-E4

Quackery on the high seas: Hantavirus edition

Inspired by a cruise-ship outbreak, de-credentialed cardiologist Peter McCullough “published” a paper in his best friend’s journal: Science, Public Health Policy and the Law -impact factor matches the number of Oxford commas in its title: ZERO.

This “article” is an ad for McCullough’s box of supplements sold through a brand he part-owns, the Wellness Company. The publisher is a non-peer-reviewed, non-indexed sham owned by IPAK, an antivax foundation.

Take-home points:

🐁 Hantavirus is easy to catch in areas full of dried mouse waste, and hard to catch from other people.

☣️ The incidence of HV is rare, mostly confined to places people avoid. The case fatality rate is quite high: 35-75%. I have only seen it once in my career and it was shockingly lethal in a completely healthy 25 year old.

☠️ NOTHING in that kit treats or prevents HV. Emboldening the unwitting by implying that it does -is *deadly malpractice*.

💊 Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) has NO antiviral nor immune-modulating properties, but it *does* have abuse potential. Its inclusion in those kits makes me wonder if its purpose is to increase sales.

🍸 Flexeril *is* effective in treating the anxiety of having a kit that does nothing for a respiratory infection that slowly claims your lungs.

Sources in comments | 46 comments on LinkedIn

"Lawmakers including former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Patty Murray (D-Washington) asked in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio why the department has not used a total of $600 million approved in fiscal years 2025 and 2026 for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The vaccine alliance “plays a critical role in averting the spread of preventable diseases around the globe, and helps protect public health in our country by stopping outbreaks before they reach our borders,” the bipartisan group wrote. Senators said Gavi has prevented 20.6 million deaths since its inception in 2000. Congressional support endures “because of its proven success as a public-private partnership,” the letter said.
The lawmakers said that the vaccine funding supports American jobs since the alliance buys more than $12.5 billion in U.S. goods and services."
https://lnkd.in/gQFQjsWB

What can happen when the vaccine procurement and supply chain breaks down?

Bangladesh is in the grip of an explosive measles epidemic, with more than 32,000 suspected cases and more than 250 deaths since mid-March, most of them young children

https://lnkd.in/eCYqa_s2

Kenya’s #Vaccine Future Is No Longer Donor-Driven, It’s Decision-Driven.

Gavi has provided #guidelines for the 6.0 strategy - a consolidated single envelope that caries the weight of #prioritization.

One thing stands out clearly:

👉 The question is no longer “How do we fund vaccines?”
👉 It is now “Which vaccines do we prioritize?”

Under the new Gavi model, Kenya is moving toward a single national vaccine budget (~$112M for 2026–2030) - combining both donor support and domestic financing.

At first glance, this looks like progress. More control. More ownership.

But look closer:

✅Core vaccines remain relatively protected through guaranteed co-financing
✅New and expanded vaccines? Increasingly self-financed
✅Gavi’s contribution to new vaccines is now minimal

This is the shift.

We are entering a phase where:
🔹 Every new vaccine introduction is a budget trade-off
🔹 Every scale-up decision is a policy choice, not a donor decision
🔹 Sustainability is no longer theoretical, it is immediate

And this raises critical questions for Kenya:

🇰🇪Can we sustain HPV scale-up while protecting routine immunization?
🇰🇪How do we prioritize within a fixed envelope?
🇰🇪Are our financing and procurement systems ready for full ownership?

Because by 2030, the transition will no longer be “upcoming”, it will be complete.

📊 This is more than a funding transition.
It is a governance and priority-setting transition.

For those of us working in #health #policy, #immunization, and health economics, this is where the real work begins.

#HealthPolicy #UHC #Immunization #Gavi #HealthEconomics #Kenya #GlobalHealth

La Floride annonce la suppression de toutes les obligations "vaccinales", pas seulement le Co Vid, tous !
https://lnkd.in/dxB8P__H

🛠️ Tool of the Week: Practical Resources for Immunization Economics

How do you make sense of a growing body of economic evaluations —often with different methods, assumptions, and results?  📊💉

This week, we’re highlighting “Meta-Analysis of Economic Evaluations of Vaccines to Support Decision Making Process”, an Immunization Economics IHEA Pre-Congress presentation that brings together and builds on established approaches for synthesizing economic evidence.

Developed by experts from World Health Organization, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London, and the University of Utah, this presentation shows how meta-analysis goes beyond traditional literature reviews to translate complex evidence into clear policy insights.

The presentation covers:
📚 What meta-analysis of economic evaluations is and how it works in practice
🧪 A case study on influenza vaccination to show how pooled evidence can inform decisions
⚠️ Key challenges to keep in mind when applying these methods in policy and practice

Decision-makers are often faced with too much evidence and not enough clarity. This approach helps bring that evidence together into actionable insights.

View the presentation here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/d2eu9tDZ

🔎 Looking for more tools like this? Browse our full Guidance, Tools & Data collection here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/ef25VNyM

Contributors: Raymond Hutubessy, Nathorn Chaiyakunapruk, Karene Hoi Ting Yeung, Sajesh K Veettil, Simon Procter, Mark Jit

Un nouveau service d'accompagnement à la fouille de textes et de données (TDM) à l'Université de Lorraine 💡

https://lnkd.in/e8ZSgwB4

A short guide to navigating the information space

We talk a lot about social media, AI, and information. Much less we understand how they actually work.
Here is a compact map of the key concepts.

Complex system
A network of interacting elements — people, content, technologies, institutions.
System-level behavior emerges from local interactions and cannot be reduced to individual parts.

Stochastic process
A process governed by both rules and randomness.
Same starting point, different possible outcomes. What we describe are probabilities, not certainties.

Algorithm
A computational function mapping inputs to outputs.
Often adaptive: it learns from data and optimizes objectives such as ranking, recommendation, and classification.

Platform
A socio-technical system combining infrastructure, algorithms, and users.
It shapes visibility and diffusion through data collection and ranking mechanisms.

Attention
A limited cognitive resource.
Among many stimuli, only a few are processed. What captures attention spreads.

Attention economy
A system where attention is scarce and optimized.
Content is designed to maximize engagement, regardless of informational quality.

Bias
Systematic deviations in judgment.
Cognitive shortcuts that reduce effort but introduce predictable errors.

Confirmation bias
The tendency to favor information that aligns with prior beliefs.
It affects what we select, interpret, and remember.

Personalization
The adaptation of information environments based on behavioral data.
Different users see different versions of the same world.

Infodemic
An overproduction of information exceeding our ability to verify and process it.
High-quality and low-quality content compete in the same space.

Echo chamber
A network where similar nodes mostly connect to each other.
Reinforcement dominates, exposure to disagreement declines.

Polarization
Opinions shift toward more extreme positions.
Middle ground shrinks, distance between groups increases.

Echo platform
Segregation at the system level.
Different platforms host systematically different audiences and content distributions.

LLMs
Statistical language models that learn probability distributions over text.
They generate coherent outputs without direct access to verified representations of reality.

Epistemia
An information regime where plausibility replaces verification.
Coherence and linguistic form become the dominant criteria for truth.

Understanding these mechanisms is not about being right.
It is about understanding why those who sound convincing often seem to be.