Category: Public Health

Sleep Duration and Health

Poor sleep is a genuine concern, but the results of a new cohort study are complex to interpret.

/ October 19, 2022

Burden of Proof Studies and Health Risk

A new way of presenting knowledge about health risks highlights the ambiguity of the evidence and the importance of basic health behaviors.

/ October 12, 2022
Joseph Ladapo

The State of Florida spreads antivaccine disinformation disguised as an epidemiological “study”

On Friday, Florida State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo released a non-peer-reviewed "study" that recommends against males aged 18 to 39 receiving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines based on bad epidemiology and science. This is the first time that we've seen a state government weaponize bad science to spread antivaccine disinformation as official policy, a dangerous new escalation in antivaccine propaganda.

/ October 10, 2022
Censored

“Censorship” and “thoughtcrime”? Antivaxxers and COVID-19 contrarians attack California AB 2098

One of the oldest tropes favored by quacks of all stripes, including antivaxxers, is to portray any attempt at regulating their quackery as an assault on freedom of speech. It's therefore not surprising that after its passage by the California legislature prominent spreaders of COVID-19 misinformation are labeling AB2098, which seeks clarify and codify the power of the Medical Board of California...

/ September 26, 2022

Healthcare Costs of Air Pollution

More recent estimates of the health related costs of air pollution are staggering.

/ August 31, 2022

PreP for HIV/AIDS

Two pills and an injection are FDA-approved to prevent HIV infection. Not enough patients and providers know about them.

/ August 30, 2022
Nuremberg Doctors Trial

COVID-19 vaccines and the Nuremberg Code

Antivaxxers love to claim that vaccine mandates (especially COVID-19 vaccine mandates) violate the Nuremberg Code and call for Nuremberg-style tribunals to hold public health and vaccine advocates "accountable". As usual, they have no idea what they are talking about. This is also not a new antivax narrative, although what is unprecedented is that what was once fringe even among antivaxxers is now...

/ August 29, 2022
Figure 1

Science denial, overconfidence, and persuasion

The pandemic has brought scientists who have rejected science with respect to COVID-19 public health measures a disturbing level of influence. Recent research suggests reasons why and who among the public susceptible to such misinformation remains persuadable.

/ August 22, 2022
Spillover to vaccine tyranny

Antivaxxers rejoice at the “silver lining” from the pandemic, spillover of distrust of COVID-19 vaccines to all vaccines

Distrust of COVID-19 vaccines has lead to spillover of distrust to all childhood vaccines, and antivaxxers are rejoicing.

/ August 15, 2022
Yogi Berra

Conspiracy theories about monkeypox: Déjà vu all over again or same as it ever was?

Last Thursday, the Biden administration officially declared monkeypox to be a national public health emergency. Unsurprisingly, conspiracy theories abound, many of them recycled from COVID-19 and older antivax conspiracy theories.

/ August 8, 2022