Health & medicine fact checks

The COVID vaccine killed 60,000 people in Germany.

Publisher’s rating: Baseless

High-dose vitamin D can help the body turn excess calories into muscle instead of fat.

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The review says the claim is based on a mouse study and that there is no clinical evidence showing vitamin D redirects calories into muscle in humans. It also notes that the mouse study used extremely high doses, which the review says would exceed safe human intake levels.

Donald Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Publisher’s rating: False

The review says the White House denied the hospitalization claim, with spokesperson Steven Cheung saying Trump had been working in the White House and Oval Office. It reports that a routine “press lid” on April 4, 2026, and reused footage contributed to the rumor, but found no verified confirmation of a hospital visit.

A baby was born with three-foot-long hair at Peradeniya Hospital.

Publisher’s rating: False

Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka reports that Peradeniya Teaching Hospital said no baby with three-foot-long hair was born there. The review also says the image shared with the claim was created using artificial intelligence.

පේරාදෙණිය රෝහලේ දී අඩි 03 ක කොණ්ඩයක් සහිත දරුවෙක් උපත ලබලා ද ?

Publisher’s rating: False

The review reports that a Peradeniya Teaching Hospital spokesperson said no such birth occurred at the hospital. It also says the circulating image was identified as AI-generated.

A man bought a watermelon in the evening. He kept it in the fridge for a while. After some time, the outer layer started peeling off like paper. This raises simple questions to govt. Is anything truly pure available anymore, or are we just consuming chemicals in the name of food.

Publisher’s rating: mislaeding

Related reporting from S4 describes a video, believed to be from Pune, showing a watermelon rind peeling after refrigeration. It says there is “currently no confirmed evidence” linking the incident to chemical contamination, while temperature-related changes are the most widely supported explanation in the excerpt.

தமிழ்நாட்டில் பெண் குழந்தைகளுக்கு போடப்படும் HPV தடுப்பூசிக்கான நிதியை ஒன்றிய அரசு அளிக்கிறது - சுமதி மேகவர்ணம், பாஜக

Publisher’s rating: false

“The reality is that we have an autism crisis that’s increasing.”

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

"Anti-vaccine rhetoric has never been a part of my message.”

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

ファイザー社が新型コロナワクチンで大腸ガンが増えると認めた?

Publisher’s rating: 誤り

Pflegepersonal beeinflusst Patienten in Alten- und Pflegeheimen

Publisher’s rating: Unwahrscheinlich. Das Wahlgeheimnis muss auch in Alten- und Pflegeheimen sichergestellt werden.

Un traitement contre le cancer du pancréas

Publisher’s rating: La recherche n'a été faite que des souris. Et trois des chercheurs sont en conflit d'intérêt.

Vietnam officially finds cure for blood cancer

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The review says Vietnamese hospitals reported individual CAR-T treatment successes, including cases of complete remission, but these do not establish a cure for blood cancer generally. It notes that Vietnam’s Ministry of Health had not declared blood cancer cured and that long-term follow-up is needed to assess whether remissions are permanent.

Cabbage Leaf Wraps Can Relieve Arthritis Pain

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

German researchers found a lasting cure for diabetes that costs $40,000 in the United States but is free for international patients.

Publisher’s rating: False

The review says no approved permanent cure for diabetes exists and that the German stem-cell research it describes is experimental, not a treatment available to patients. It also says experimental treatments in Germany are not free for international patients.

ඌරු මස් තුළ පිසීමෙන් පසුවත් පරපෝෂිතයන් සිටිනවාද?

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The review says parasites may infect people who eat raw or undercooked pork, but that proper cooking kills them. It states that parasites destroyed at the recommended internal temperatures cannot live, grow, or reproduce in the human body.

「自閉症の子どもの増加は母親と接する時間が減ったから」?

Publisher’s rating: 誤り

At a January 27, 2026 campaign speech, Hitoshi Senoki said research linked autism in children to how long mothers spend with them from ages zero to three. The review says experts reject this explanation and notes that Senoki later apologized, acknowledging his statement had no basis.

Cow & Gate and Nutrilon infant formula have been recalled from all countries where they are distributed.

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The review found no statement from Danone or international news report confirming that all Cow & Gate products had been recalled. It says the recall concerned a specific Aptamil batch, not all products globally, and that the affected batch had not been imported into Sri Lanka. [S1]

"The science was clear enough on proteins that we should dramatically increase our input of proteins."

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

Newly released Epstein files show that Bill Gates discussed a "strain pandemic simulation" with Jeffrey Epstein in 2017.

Publisher’s rating: False

Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka reviewed the claim that newly released Epstein files showed Gates and Epstein discussing a “strain pandemic simulation.” It reports that its review of the January 30, 2026 release found no documents linking the two men to pandemic simulations, virus planning, or health-related discussions.