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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Health & medicine fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about health & medicine. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

13,668 published reviews in this topic

PA MediaHealth & medicine

As a result of “the new reformed NHS dentistry contract, there are now more NHS dentists across the UK, with more funding, making sure people can get the treatment they need.”

Publisher’s rating: Missing context: Reforms to the NHS dentistry contract were introduced in July 2022 – and the revised contract came into force in November. But the latest data on NHS dentist staffing figures relate to financial year of 2021/22, and the latest complete funding data relates to 2020/21. This means both sets of figures relate to the time before the contract was introduced.

Factcrescendo Sri LankaHealth & medicine

Oreo Biscuits Contain ‘Pork Fat And Milk` !!

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerned a social-media graphic saying Oreo biscuits contain “fat and pork milk,” are forbidden for Muslims, and that Cadbury had officially acknowledged this. The review examined the graphic and investigated the claim in India; its conclusion specifically concerns Oreo biscuits manufactured there by Mondelez India Foods Private Limited. To check the graphic’s provenance, the reviewers contacted the person associated with a logo, phone number and email shown on it. He denied issuing it and said his logo had been used falsely. The review also contacted Mondelez India spokesperson Rakhee Bansal, who said Indian-manufactured products were vegetarian and that the green dot on the wrapper confirms this. The article says Indian food-safety rules require a green symbol for vegetarian food and require pork fat, lard and beef fat or extracts to be declared by name. The review also checked halal information, which is a separate issue from whether a product contains pork. It reports that Oreo’s UK FAQ said European biscuits were not halal-certified, while explaining that their composition or production process did not make them unsuitable for a Muslim diet, subject to listed exceptions. It also cites Oreo’s statement that halal certification depends on the country and that US and Canadian cookies are not halal-certified. Those qualifications do not establish that Indian Oreos contain pork: the review’s India-specific evidence is the company spokesperson’s statement and the green vegetarian mark. The article concludes that the graphic’s claim is false.

dpaHealth & medicine

Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation hat die Menschenrechte aus ihren Gesundheitsvorschriften gestrichen.

Publisher’s rating: Die Menschenrechte werden nicht aus den Gesundheitsvorschriften gestrichen. Die Anpassungen und Umformulierungen sollen im Gegenteil sogar mehr Gleichberechtigung in der medizinischen Versorgung schaffen. Die WHO kann überdies gar nicht zu einem medizinischen Alleinherrscher werden, da die Umsetzung ihrer Leitlinien auf nationaler Ebene durch Gesetze gedeckt sein muss.

dpaHealth & medicine

Zusammenhang zwischen (Corona-)Impfung und Tod von Model Jeremy Ruehlemann.

Publisher’s rating: Es gibt keinerlei Belege, dass Ruehlemanns Tod mit einer Impfung zusammenhängt. Einem Medienbericht zufolge starb das Model an einer Medikamenten-Überdosis. Das Foto von der Impfung ist fast zwei Jahre alt, schwere Impfkomplikationen treten in der Regel innerhalb weniger Tage oder Wochen auf.

The dpa review examined social-media posts that used a photograph of model Jeremy Ruehlemann receiving what appeared to be a COVID-19 shot, together with the hashtag “#ploetzlichundunerwartet,” to imply that vaccination was connected to his death. The review says the posts offered no evidence for that implication. It also distinguishes the existence of a vaccination photo from evidence about when Ruehlemann was vaccinated or what caused his death. (S1: “Durch den Hashtag «#ploetzlichundunerwartet» und ein Foto, das Ruehlemann bei einer Corona-Impfung zeigt, versuchen sie, seinen Tod in einen Zusammenhang mit Impfungen zu rücken.”; “Es ist jedoch völlig unbekannt, wann und wogegen Ruehlemann zuletzt geimpft wurde.”) To assess the photo’s timing, the review identifies it as an image Ruehlemann himself posted on Instagram in March 2021, and notes that a vaccination record card is visible. It says the image does not establish when he received his last vaccination. The review separately reports that the Daily Mail attributed his death to a medication overdose, citing his father; this is presented as the newspaper’s account, not as proof that vaccination caused or did not cause his death. (S1: “Es kursiert lediglich ein Foto, das er selbst im März 2021 auf Instagram veröffentlicht hatte.”; “Das habe der Vater des Models der Zeitung bestätigt.”) The review also points to timing: it says serious vaccine side effects are very rare and that adverse effects and complications occur within a short period after vaccination. Since the photo was nearly two years old, the review says it does not support a link between the pictured vaccination and Ruehlemann’s death. The excerpt does not establish the date of his last vaccination or provide independent medical findings on the cause of death. (S1: “Schwere Nebenwirkungen der Corona-Impfstoffe sind sehr selten.”; “Nebenwirkungen und Komplikationen treten innerhalb eines kurzen Zeitraums nach einer Impfung auf.”)