Analysis
False claims about the origin of polio continue to spread online following a viral March 26 podcast interview. Some posts repeat the conspiracy theory that polio was created in a lab and spread in Africa, while others promote the debunked myth that polio was renamed, not eradicated. One post shared an image claiming without evidence that polio is actually DDT, lead, and arsenic poisoning; undiagnosed syphilis; hand, foot, and mouth disease; and a variety of other diseases.
Recommendations
The continued global circulation of these conspiracy theories about polio increases their risk. The false claim that polio has been renamed periodically resurfaces online. Prebunking messaging may emphasize that some conditions have symptoms that resemble polio symptoms but are distinct diseases with known causes. Debunking messaging may emphasize that polio has never been renamed; it has been nearly eliminated worldwide thanks to polio vaccines. The myth that polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases are caused by environmental factors has been used to argue against the use of vaccines for decades. Messaging may explain that polio is caused by poliovirus, not by exposure to pesticides, lead, arsenic, or any other chemical. In addition, messaging may emphasize that all countries that have eradicated polio have done so using the polio vaccine.