A single tweet from Pakistan complained, 'My child already got 5 doses, why again? Too many vaccines!' Though isolated, this taps into parental fatigue and skepticism about repeated campaigns. With 14,000 reach, the narrative is not yet widespread but could resonate more widely if picked up by influencers.
One or two posts accused vaccinators of forging certificates or falsifying records, largely in Pakistan and Nigeria. Tweets suggested 'fake vaccination records prove campaigns are a fraud,' though engagement was limited. While minor at present, such claims can gain traction if linked to actual scandals or audits.
A handful of posts, mainly in India and Nigeria, misused headlines describing the polio vaccine as 'imperfect' to claim futility. One tweet read, 'Even UNICEF admits it’s an imperfect vaccine,' gaining over 5,000 views. Blogs went further, conflating reports of falsified records with efficacy failures. Although the scale was small, the framing of imperfection resonated with broader doubts about program effectiveness.
Accusations that WHO, UNICEF, and governments are hiding data or fabricating records circulated mainly on X and online forums. Posts such as 'WHO hiding vaccine failures' and 'UNICEF data is fabricated' did not always go viral, but they served as amplifiers of other narratives like vaccine failure or falsified records. The bursts of up to 17 posts in 48 hours often coincided with negative news stories, showing how mistrust narratives are opportunistically layered onto ongoing conversations.
Ten posts alleging severe adverse events or deaths after polio vaccination surfaced in India, Pakistan, and Nigeria. Most were anecdotal, with poor sourcing or stock images misused to illustrate claims. A local blog post titled 'Child died after polio drops yesterday' was amplified on Facebook, gaining over a million views. Although small in number, these claims achieved wide visibility thanks to high-follower accounts and sensational headlines. Peaks aligned with news cycles, reinforcing the perception of cover-ups and danger.