In early 2025, social media engagement surrounding US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and vaccines surged in Europe, prompting concerns over misinformation as measles cases escalated. Researchers from Ripple Research noted that over half of the analyzed social media posts were spreading false information, highlighting the significant impact of such misinformation. Measles cases doubled in Europe in 2024, reaching a 25-year high, according to WHO and UNICEF statistics, with many caregivers indicating that social media influenced their vaccination decisions.
More than half of the top-performing posts analysed were found to be spreading misinformation, researchers found. US President Donald Trump's health secretary has repeatedly cast doubt on the safety of vaccines.
There were more than 100,000 measles cases in Europe alone in 2024. A third of global cases were in Europe, highlighting significant gaps in immunisation coverage.
Collection
[
|
...
]