{"id":15636,"date":"2026-03-05T09:04:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T15:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/?post_type=just-the-facts&#038;p=15636"},"modified":"2026-03-08T09:12:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T14:12:20","slug":"correcting-this-weeks-misinformation-week-of-march-5-2026","status":"publish","type":"just-the-facts","link":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/just-the-facts\/correcting-this-weeks-misinformation-week-of-march-5-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Correcting this week&#8217;s misinformation: week of March 5, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column]<div class=\"templatera_shortcode\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-type=\"vc_shortcodes-default-css\">.vc_do_custom_heading{margin-bottom:0.625rem;margin-top:0;}<\/style><style type=\"text\/css\" data-type=\"vc_shortcodes-custom-css\">.vc_custom_1708910460305{border-top-width: 2px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;border-left-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #004789 !important;border-radius: 2px !important;}<\/style>[vc_row remove_bottom_col_margin=\"true\" css=\".vc_custom_1708910460305{border-top-width: 2px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;border-left-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #004789 !important;border-radius: 2px !important;}\"][vc_column]<div class=\"vcex-spacing wpex-w-100 wpex-clear\" style=\"height:15px;\"><\/div>[vc_row_inner equal_height=\"yes\" content_placement=\"top\"][vc_column_inner width=\"1\/6\"]<figure class=\"vcex-image vcex-module\"><div class=\"vcex-image-inner wpex-relative wpex-inline-block\"><img width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/just-immunization-facts.png\" class=\"vcex-image-img wpex-align-middle\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/just-immunization-facts.png 1080w, https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/just-immunization-facts-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/just-immunization-facts-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/just-immunization-facts-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/just-immunization-facts-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/just-immunization-facts-50x50.png 50w, https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/just-immunization-facts-50x50@2x.png 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/div><\/figure>[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=\"5\/6\"][vc_custom_heading source=\"post_title\" font_container=\"tag:h1|font_size:1.615em|text_align:center|color:%23ffffff\" use_theme_fonts=\"yes\" css=\"\"]<div class=\"vcex-spacing wpex-w-100 wpex-clear\" style=\"height:20px;\"><\/div>[vc_column_text css=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"color: #ffffff; text-align: right;\">Want to see debunkings like this in action? Watch the <a style=\"color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLM53nMUclCyzp58Ns_M85dxsGsaJfuPe2\">videos<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row remove_bottom_col_margin=&#8221;true&#8221; source=&#8221;&#8221; text=&#8221;Clinical Trials&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221; google_fonts=&#8221;font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal&#8221; link=&#8221;&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1767222023487{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column]<div class=\"wpex-post-cards wpex-post-cards-template_10153 wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpex-post-cards-inner\"><div class=\"wpex-post-cards-loop wpex-post-cards-grid wpex-row wpex-clr\"><div class=\"wpex-post-cards-entry col col-1 span_1_of_1 post-15630 type-jtf_topics jtf_topic_subjects-195 jtf_topic_subjects-267 jtf_topic_subjects-268 jtf_topic_subjects-270 jtf_topic_subjects-191 jtf_topic_subjects-269\"><div class=\"wpex-card wpex-card-template_10153\"><div class=\"wpex-card-inner\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vcex-page-title vcex-module\"><h2 class=\"vcex-page-title__heading wpex-heading wpex-text-3xl\"><span class=\"vcex-page-title__text\">Does Casey Means support vaccines?<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vcex-post-content\">\n\t<style>.vc_custom_1708910874436{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}<\/style>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"vcex-post-content-c wpex-clr\"><div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1708910874436 wpex-relative wpex-vc_row-has-fill wpex-vc-reset-negative-margin\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: left\" class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_do_custom_heading\" >The Claim:<\/h3>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p>In her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2026\/02\/25\/casey-means-surgeon-general-nominee-vaccines-autism\/88860038007\/\">confirmation hearing<\/a>, Casey Means avoided clearly backing certain vaccines, saying parents should decide with their doctors. She also claimed we don\u2019t fully know what causes autism and that questions about vaccines and autism should not be completely closed.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: left\" class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_do_custom_heading\" >The Facts:<\/h3>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p>Vaccines protect people from serious diseases. They are not perfect, but they lower the risk of getting very sick, going to the hospital, or dying. Some people cannot get vaccines because they are too young or have weak immune systems. These people\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/when-its-not-a-choice-measles-and-leukemia\/\" rel=\"noopener\">depend on others<\/a>\u00a0being vaccinated to stay safe.<\/p>\n<p>When many people in a community are vaccinated, it creates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/glossary-words\/community-immunity\/\" rel=\"noopener\">community immunity<\/a>\u00a0(also called herd immunity). This helps stop diseases from spreading. If vaccination rates fall, diseases can come back. For example,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/03\/us\/politics\/south-carolina-measles-outbreak-vaccines.html\" rel=\"noopener\">measles outbreaks<\/a>\u00a0often happen in places where fewer people are vaccinated.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s how we get people who claim that, since we do not know exactly what causes autism, questions about vaccines and autism should stay open. But decades of research give us clear answers.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists now know that autism mostly begins before birth and is strongly linked to genetics and early brain development. Brain differences linked to autism often appear\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2014\/03\/26\/294446735\/brain-changes-suggest-autism-starts-in-the-womb\" rel=\"noopener\">during pregnancy<\/a>, long before a child receives vaccines.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/autismsciencefoundation.org\/autism-and-vaccines-read-the-science\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Large studies<\/a>\u00a0around the world have looked for a link between vaccines and autism. They have not found one. One study in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/autismsciencefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/vaccine.2019.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">Denmark<\/a>\u00a0followed more than 650,000 children and found that children who received the MMR vaccine were no more likely to develop autism than those who did not.<\/p>\n<p>In science, we rely on strong evidence. Right now, the evidence is clear:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/jtf_topics\/what-are-the-facts-on-autism\/\" rel=\"noopener\">vaccines do not cause autism<\/a>, and they help protect communities from dangerous diseases.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpex-post-cards-entry col col-1 span_1_of_1 post-15632 type-jtf_topics jtf_topic_subjects-276 jtf_topic_subjects-271 jtf_topic_subjects-189 jtf_topic_subjects-275 jtf_topic_subjects-274 jtf_topic_subjects-272 jtf_topic_subjects-273\"><div class=\"wpex-card wpex-card-template_10153\"><div class=\"wpex-card-inner\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vcex-page-title vcex-module\"><h2 class=\"vcex-page-title__heading wpex-heading wpex-text-3xl\"><span class=\"vcex-page-title__text\">Have vaccinated people contaminated our blood suppply?<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vcex-post-content\">\n\t<style>.vc_custom_1708910874436{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}<\/style>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"vcex-post-content-c wpex-clr\"><div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1708910874436 wpex-relative wpex-vc_row-has-fill wpex-vc-reset-negative-margin\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: left\" class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_do_custom_heading\" >The Claim:<\/h3>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p>In a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/wideawake_media\/status\/2028063023558996245?s=20\" rel=\"nofollow noindex\">video<\/a>\u00a0posted online,\u00a0Dr. Ben Marble says vaccinated people should not donate blood because he believes the COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous, has contaminated the blood supply, and is causing serious health problems like blood clots and heart attacks.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: left\" class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_do_custom_heading\" >The Facts:<\/h3>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p>Dr. Ben Marble is a member of a group called America\u2019s Frontline Doctors. He has claimed that Dr. Anthony Fauci\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-independent.com\/news\/world\/americas\/alex-jones-sandy-hook-deposition-doctor-benjamin-marble-b2043227.html\">created<\/a>\u00a0the COVID\u00a0virus and has promoted treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, which have not been proven to treat COVID.<\/p>\n<p>Marble has not provided evidence that receiving blood from someone who has been vaccinated causes blood clots or heart attacks. A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/divisionofresearch.kaiserpermanente.org\/covid19-vaccine-blood-supply\/\">2025 study<\/a>\u00a0that looked back at medical records found that receiving blood from someone who had COVID\u00a0or received a COVID vaccine does not increase health risks.<\/p>\n<p>Getting a COVID-19 vaccine does not affect a person\u2019s ability to donate blood, platelets, or plasma. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellhealth.com\/quiz-are-you-eligible-to-donate-blood-8672802\">American Red Cross<\/a>\u00a0says that people who have been vaccinated can donate as long as they feel well at the time of donation.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpex-post-cards-entry col col-1 span_1_of_1 post-15634 type-jtf_topics jtf_topic_subjects-277 jtf_topic_subjects-204 jtf_topic_subjects-210 jtf_topic_subjects-269 jtf_topic_subjects-278 jtf_topic_subjects-279\"><div class=\"wpex-card wpex-card-template_10153\"><div class=\"wpex-card-inner\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vcex-page-title vcex-module\"><h2 class=\"vcex-page-title__heading wpex-heading wpex-text-3xl\"><span class=\"vcex-page-title__text\">Is it safe to get a Tdap during pregnancy?<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vcex-post-content\">\n\t<style>.vc_custom_1708910874436{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}<\/style>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"vcex-post-content-c wpex-clr\"><div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1708910874436 wpex-relative wpex-vc_row-has-fill wpex-vc-reset-negative-margin\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: left\" class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_do_custom_heading\" >The Claim:<\/h3>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p>On his\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HighWireTalk\/status\/2028110256778448935?s=20\" rel=\"nofollow noindex\">internet show<\/a>, Del Bigtree\u00a0claims that the Tdap\u00a0vaccine given during pregnancy may be linked to stillbirth, preterm birth, and fetal death.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: left\" class=\"vc_custom_heading vc_do_custom_heading\" >The Facts:<\/h3>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/cellular-and-infection-microbiology\/articles\/10.3389\/fcimb.2025.1689560\/full\" rel=\"noopener\">study<\/a>\u00a0Del Bigtree refers to looked at reports in a government database called VAERS.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/science\/vaccinesafety\/\" rel=\"noopener\">VAERS<\/a>\u00a0allows doctors, patients, or family members to report health problems that happen after vaccination. These reports do not prove the vaccine caused the problem. They only show that the event happened sometime after vaccination.<\/p>\n<p>In the database, some pregnancy-related outcomes were reported more often than expected. But\u00a0the study explains that VAERS data cannot show cause and effect because reports are voluntary and not verified the same way as in controlled studies.<\/p>\n<p>The authors also note that the large numbers mentioned in the video come from a statistic called a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC9340231\/\" rel=\"noopener\">reporting odds ratio<\/a>. This number compares how often something is reported for one vaccine versus others in the database. It does not measure real-world risk\u00a0or show that the vaccine caused the problem. If an event is rare, even a small number of reports can make the ratio look very large. The number can also change depending on how often people choose to report certain events. Because of this, reporting odds ratios are mainly used to flag issues that may need more study, not to show that a vaccine is dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>Stronger research has not found a higher risk of stillbirth or fetal death from the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy. This research includes\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1198743X25001338?\" rel=\"noopener\">large studies<\/a>\u00a0that follow many people and compare what happens to those who got the vaccine and those who did not. Because these studies include many people and track real pregnancies, they are better at spotting rare problems like stillbirth or fetal death.<\/p>\n<p>The Tdap vaccine is given during pregnancy because whooping cough, or pertussis, is dangerous to new babies. Before the vaccine, up to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfid.org\/infectious-disease\/whooping-cough\/\" rel=\"noopener\">9,000 children<\/a>\u00a0died from pertussis each year. Now, these deaths are rare enough to make\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cidrap.umn.edu\/pertussis\/third-infant-kentucky-dies-whooping-cough-national-cases-stay-high-second-year-row\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>, but still\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifa.org.au\/lightforriley\" rel=\"noopener\">preventable<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Claim: On his\u00a0internet show, Del Bigtree\u00a0claims that the Tdap\u00a0vaccine given during pregnancy may be linked to stillbirth, preterm birth, and fetal death. The Facts: The\u00a0study\u00a0Del Bigtree refers to looked&hellip;","protected":false},"template":"","jtf_topic_subjects":[],"class_list":["post-15636","just-the-facts","type-just-the-facts","status-publish","hentry","entry","no-media"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/just-the-facts\/15636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/just-the-facts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/just-the-facts"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"jtf_topic_subjects","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topic_subjects?post=15636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}