Social media disinformation campaigns are linked to falling vaccination rates, a study published in the online British Medical Journal for Global Health reveals.
There’s no dearth of posts on social media platforms claiming to have found the cure for the coronavirus. Here’s one in Hindi that makes not one, but several claims about COVID-19 cures and prevention.
Myths about the polio vaccine continue to reappear. This World Polio Day, we debunk the most common myths about the polio vaccine.
Claims about tea being a cure for COVID-19 have been doing the rounds since the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak. While the popular drink may be beneficial for health in general, it certainly doesn’t have any curative powers against the deadly virus.
A WhatsApp message claims that the patent for the drug remdesivir is held by China and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates will profit from this drug. The claims are false.
Since polycystic ovary syndrome is not well understood, there is widespread misinformation about this condition. Misinformation can impact its diagnosis leading to assumptions and generalisations in the absence of facts.
Videos making false and misleading claims about masks are getting wide popularity in India. While one video claims that wearing masks is dangerous, others promote ‘herbal masks’ to purify the air we breathe in. All these claims are false.
A video is getting viral on Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube claiming that COVID-19 is the biggest scandal in the history of mankind. But all the claims are false.
A Facebook page is promoting the use of garlic to kill brain cancer cells but the claim is false and misleading as there is no scientific evidence to prove that garlic can cure cancer.
There’s scientific evidence to prove that the MMR vaccine doesn’t cause Autism and there is no association between the two.
There is no scientific evidence to prove that Vicks VapoRub, a topical ointment used for nasal congestion and cough can melt away belly fat and eventually lead to weight loss. The claim is false.
A viral WhatsApp message in India is asking people to click on a link to download a free app that monitors blood oxygen levels using one’s phone camera. The pandemic is seeing a surge in fake apps and cyber fraud.
A photo of a list of treatments claiming to have been recommended to “patients recovering from the hospital” along with a listing of symptoms is circulating on WhatsApp in India. The claims are false with unsubstantiated remedies.
A video viewed millions of times claims that heart attacks can be prevented by drinking onion juice mixed with lemon and honey. The claim is misleading.
A Youtube video claims that a concoction of onion, cumin, sugar crystals and lemon will help pass kidney stones. But there is no evidence to prove that this mix of ingredients can cure or help in passing kidney stones. The claim is false.
A video that has been watched hundreds of times on youtube claims that the video highlights how Russia is secretly burying dead bodies. However, the video is from Ballari, a district in the south Indian state of Karnataka which shows the undignified burial of dead bodies.
There is no scientific evidence that tying a homemade pouch full of different spices can protect people from Covid-19. The video has been viewed thousands of times but the claim is false and is misleading people.
Social media platforms are under constant pressure to regulate misinformation. We analysed how the three most popular social media platforms are tackling fake news related to the pandemic.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 10 fake claims citing the medicinal properties of lemon or drinking hot lemon juice or mixing lemon with soda, tea have been doing rounds. A new claim saying that washing hands with lemon juice can protect from coronavirus is unsubstantiated. We found that there is no study or data to back up this claim.
The spread of dubious claims and false information during the coronavirus outbreak has been rapid on the popular messaging platform – WhatsApp. Here, with the help of our team of doctors and fact-checkers, we debunk the hundred most widely circulated and harmful content and claims related to COVID-19.
Amid an unprecedented global health crisis, health journalists faced a double whammy – one to report effectively on the pandemic and the other to fight the tide of misinformation which spread faster than the virus itself. Here is an analysis of how fake news hit India at various stages during Covid-19.
A video in the Tamil language claims that if someone has had measles infection in his lifetime, he will never be infected with the novel coronavirus. The claim is false.
There is a lot of data visualisation about COVID-19 which can be misleading. We identified five common mistakes in data visualisation and how one can spot them.
We’ve been looking at some of the most widely circulated posts on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter since the start of the pandemic. This week, we have compiled and debunked the 10 claims that are currently circulating.
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