Category: Public Health

The “Disinformation Dozen” spreading anti-vaccine messaging on social media

Just twelve individuals are generating two-thirds of all of the anti-vaccine messaging on Twitter and Facebook.

/ April 1, 2021

The Origins of SARS-CoV-2

The joint WHO-China investigation report concludes that a lab origin for COVID-19 is "extremely unlikely" but doubts remain.

/ March 31, 2021
COVID-19 vs. FDA and CDC

State legislatures consider bills prohibiting COVID-19 vaccination mandates and other public health measures

Bills seek to prevent the states and private employers from mandating COVID-19 vaccines and other pandemic mitigation measures. Some proposed legislation would severely handicap public health officials in combating future health emergencies.

/ March 11, 2021

The Next Pandemic

COVID-19 may have been a dress-rehearsal for more serious pandemics to come. How do we prepare?

/ March 3, 2021

A “not antivaccine” antivax pediatrician asks how we will know a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective

Dr. Liz Mumper is associated with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s antivax organization Children's Health Defense. She recently gave a presentation asking: How will we know that a COVID vaccine is safe? It's a presentation that provides an excellent example of how to identify if someone is antivaccine.

/ March 1, 2021

Bills eliminating school immunizations and other anti-vaccination measures confront state legislatures

Bills eliminating school immunizations and expanding exemptions are pending in state legislatures. Other state bills strengthen immunization requirements by eliminating exemptions, among other measures. An anti-vaccination misinformation campaign is underway to influence legislators' votes.

/ February 25, 2021

The effectiveness of zinc and vitamin C on the duration of COVID-19 infections

Vitamin C and zinc have been heralded as treatments for colds for decades, but how well do they work against COVID-19? A new clinical trial provides the answer.

/ February 18, 2021
Namaste - Yoga Practitioner

Conspirituality: Where New Age wellness meets right wing conspiracy thinking

Conspiracy theorists and QAnon may sound miles apart from wellness, yoga and GOOP, but they're converging into "conspirituality", the integration of spirituality and conspiracy theories.

/ February 4, 2021

Consumer and public health groups push for cancer warning on alcoholic beverages

A coalition of consumer and public health groups, citing scientific consensus, is pushing for a government-required warning that alcohol consumption causes cancer on alcoholic beverage containers. Despite the evidence, we can expect alcohol industry opposition.

/ January 28, 2021

The Anti-Vaxxer Playbook to Destroy Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines

Major anti-vaccination voices and organizations have coalesced around three key messages to keep people from accepting the COVID-19 vaccine. Their playbook has now been exposed.

/ January 21, 2021