Pakistan reported positive wastewater samples from 18 districts, along with its eighth polio case this year. Some social media users responded to the news by calling the polio vaccine “poison” and claiming that polio vaccination campaigns are a “big conspiracy” to leave the population barren.
A Palestinian doctor criticized the use of oral polio vaccines in Gaza, suggesting that they will do more harm to the malnourished and extremely vulnerable population. The post describes OPV as a vaccine rejected by other nations that carries a high risk of vaccine-associated polio. Although the wording is unclear, the post falsely suggests that cVDPV is a risk to vaccinated children. Most responses to the post were generally in agreement and supportive of the message. Two users noted that the vaccine used in Gaza is the novel OPV2, while the doctor appears to be referring to other OPVs.
A social media user posted a video claiming that polio vaccines are being given to children in Pakistan without proper testing or a list of ingredients. Days later, he claimed that the Pakistani government banned the videos, forcing him to upload them to a different social media platform. The two posts have been shared over 800 times and received dozens of comments. Many responses called polio vaccines “poison” and claimed they decrease the birthrate of boys.
A social media user shared a video of a Nigerian pastor who frequently promotes anti-vaccine myths and claimed that all vaccines are unsafe. The post also falsely states that children only get polio after being vaccinated. Over 130 people shared the posts, and around half of the responses agreed with the false claims.
A trending social media post accuses Bill Gates of using polio vaccination and other global health programs to “slow population growth” in Africa through sterilization. The post received over 2,000 engagements, including dozens of responses claiming that vaccines are deadly and meant to sterilize women throughout the continent.
WHO recently reported that over 100 children in Afghanistan and Pakistan were paralyzed by the wild poliovirus last year. One response asked why polio vaccines cause paralysis, while another argued they don’t work because polio still exists.
As Nigeria launched a national polio vaccination campaign, local news outlets reported that some parents are refusing polio drops for their children. Officials in Bauchi reportedly threatened to arrest parents who refuse the vaccines. While many commenters criticized the parents, others said the government should focus on other issues, such as hunger and security. Some posts also claimed that polio vaccines are haram (prohibited in Islam), bioweapons, deadly, and not effective.
Social media users in Indonesia are discussing a video about a mother refusing vaccines for her child. Some responses echoed the mother’s concerns about the safety of polio vaccines. A pediatrician responded to the video by calling on others to be compassionate and understanding of parents who are hesitant about vaccines. Although most commenters agreed with these strategies to encourage vaccination, others claimed, without evidence, that modern vaccines weaken children’s immune systems.