As India is witnessing a surge in cases, preventions and cures for Covid-19 are getting wide popularity on social media. We at First Check have received a WhatsApp message from multiple sources within a span of 4-5 days promoting and convincing people to start a steam inhalation initiative. It also urges people to forward the message twice or thrice daily.
As the world grapples with a health crisis and misinformation, false claims are re-emerging despite being debunked earlier.
A social media post promoting a correlation between the COVID-19 vaccine and heart attacks is getting wide popularity. However, there is no evidence to link the two.
An Instagram post claiming prolonged use of sanitary pads can cause bladder and uterine cancer is misleading and unscientific.
A year after the pandemic, the conspiracy theory that coronavirus is a hoax and that Bill Gates and Dr Fauci are behind it is again gaining popularity. Animated videos and adapted cartoon characters from cartoon series are being used this time. However, there is no evidence to support the claim.
While proper nutrition and hydration are essential for good health, there’s no evidence to support claims made by a WhatsApp forward to reduce the side effects of vaccines.
First Check found videos encouraging unscientific cures of COVID-19 on YouTube in Bengali – a language mostly spoken in West Bengal state of India and Bangladesh.
Youtube is awash with how to disinfect surfaces and many people have resorted to trying to make their own disinfectants by watching viral do-it-yourself (DIY) videos and YouTube tutorials. But mixing chemicals in the wrong proportion can at best create an ineffective product – and at worst result in poisoning.
First Check, the health fact-checking initiative of Health Analytics Asia, is now a signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, USA.
A recent WhatsApp message presented a series of arguments discrediting the claimed 95% efficacy of Pfizer vaccine. The message is partly correct, but it is misleading people by claiming that the clinical trial was conducted on a selected group of participants aimed for optimal results.
There is no scientific evidence to prove that a health drink made of Indian date leaves, sacred fig leaves, and Cynodon leaves can cure HIV
Currently, there is no established link between miscarriages after COVID-19 immunization as only limited data is available
Misinformation and rumours are three times more likely to be spread on social media as compared to accurate information. We need to adopt evidence-informed measures from a transdisciplinary perspective to win the battle against this parallel pandemic.
A popular YouTube channel claims that smouldering incense sticks can ward off coronavirus and that there is no need to get vaccinated for coronavirus as the positive energy from incense sticks can cure Covid-19. The claim is false and has no scientific evidence.
Here is what Google Trends say on what was most searched when Covid-19 was at its peak in 2020 By Nabeela Khan The pandemic brought along with it a few health protocols – recommended by the WHO and the CDC, as also various governments. Wearing a mask, washing hands regularly with soap, use of infrared […]
Fraudsters in Asia are sending out fake texts, offering a Covid vaccine or registration for the vaccine in an attempt to steal personal and financial information. By Nabeela Khan At a time, when vaccines are being rolled out all around the world, people are eager to receive vaccines. But the process of vaccinating millions of […]
An image circulating on social media saying “stop the spread of Germans” is clearly manipulated
A Facebook page and its corresponding Youtube channel claim that coronavirus vaccination is an attempt to make people infertile so that people stop reproducing. When there is nobody to inherit the land, the land will be acquired by the government.
A Whatsapp message with a number of assumptions and questions about the efficacy of covid vaccines is circulating in India. The claims in the message are misleading.
The substances listed in the social media post are present in certain vaccines but medical research suggests the levels are not harmful.
There is no study to back the claim that coronavirus lays eggs in the throat and inhaling a herbal concoction can cure Covid-19 in a day. The claims in this Youtube video are false.
WHO guidelines and experts recommend that it is safe to eat properly cooked eggs, chicken, and other poultry products.
Multiple Facebook posts claim that red ant chutney (sauce) is the divine medicine for coronavirus. We fact-checked the claim and found the origin of this statement. There is no scientific evidence yet to prove it as a possible cure.
The COVID-19 vaccine does not cause infertility; the rumour is unfounded and has no scientific evidence backing the claim.
The recent misinformation trending on social media is the six-minute walk test which is performed by doctors on Covid patients to further evaluate the condition of heart and lungs.
Facebook has also said it will start prohibiting Ads that discourage vaccines and will also remove false claims about COVID-19 vaccines.
Top fact-checkers from Asia share personal stories, deep insights, and practical tips to tackle the avalanche of health fake news at the Misinformation in Medicine Summit 2020.
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to claim more lives, more and more products are popping up falsely claiming to prevent the disease. One of those products getting popularity now in India is a so-called “virus shut out” necklace.
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.