PeakMetrics / Fact Checks
Health & medicine fact checks
Explore claims publishers have checked about health & medicine. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.
Search fact checks
Search by text or image13,676 published reviews in this topic
«Viren sind einfach Ausscheidungen einer toxischen Zelle» - diese Aussage wird zusammen mit weiteren Behauptungen über Viren auf Facebook unter anderem Rudolf Steiner zugeschrieben, dem Begründer der Anthroposophie (hier archiviert). Weiter heißt es «Viren sind einfach Stücke von RNA oder DNA mit einigen anderen Proteinen, die aus der Zelle ausgebrochen sind. Es passiert, wenn die Zellen vergiftet sind. Sie sind nicht die Ursache von irgendetwas.»
Publisher’s rating: In Steiners Gesamtwerk finden sich keine solche Aussagen. Aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht sind sie zudem irreführend.
Drug addicts should be treated as "victims in dire need of [medical, psychological, and spiritual] assistance."
Publisher’s rating: Flip-flop
Są takie województwa w Polsce jak podlaskie, w którym nie ma ani jednego łóżka psychiatrycznego dla dzieci.
Publisher’s rating: Prawda
முதலில் ஒரு நோயாளிக்கு கொரோனா வைரஸ் சூடான உணவை பணக்கார மற்றும் மிளகு கொடுங்கள், 24 மணி நேரத்திற்குள் அவர் அல்லது அவள் நன்றாக இருப்பார்கள்
Publisher’s rating: FALSE
The review investigated a social-media claim that giving a person with coronavirus hot food containing pepper would make them well within 24 hours. It says the claim reached Vishvas News through its WhatsApp chatbot and was also circulating on Facebook and Twitter. The article’s conclusion is that there is no evidence that adding pepper to food cures coronavirus in a day. To assess the claim, the review reports consulting World Health Organization guidance. It says the WHO stated that adding hot peppers to food cannot prevent or cure COVID-19, and identified keeping at least one metre from others and washing hands frequently and thoroughly as ways to protect oneself. The review also cites a Virginia Department of Health webpage, which it says stated that pepper added to food would not cure COVID-19. The article further reports that Dr. Vimal of India’s Ministry of AYUSH told Vishvas News there was no evidence pepper could cure the infection and that the viral claim was a hoax. These cited sources address the specific proposed remedy; none of the evidence described in the review supports the promised 24-hour recovery. The article also notes that treatments and medicines were under research at the time, rather than presenting pepper as an established treatment.
Auf Facebook werden derzeit vermehrt Postings verbreitet, in denen angebliche «Corona-Insider» auspacken (hier archiviert). Unter anderem heißt es, das Coronavirus sei ein Grippe-Virus, PCR-positiv Getestete seien «weder krank noch infiziert (ansteckend)» und Masken würden niemanden vor Viren schützen.
Publisher’s rating: Bei dem Coronavirus handelt es nicht um ein Grippe-Virus, PCR-positiv Getestete sind infiziert und in den meisten Fällen auch krank und infektiös. Die Wirksamkeit von Masken wurde mittlerweile in mehreren wissenschaftlichen Studien bestätigt.
MUJER PERDIÓ LÍQUIDO CEREBRAL TRAS REALIZARSE EL EXAMEN PCR
Publisher’s rating: Verdadero
Sind in Schulen in Deutschland heimliche Impfungen möglich? Die vermeintliche Grundlage dafür sei ein Papier der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO), wonach schon die Anwesenheit eines Kindes in der Schule als «informierte Zustimmung» zu einer Impfung gelte. «Das kommt dabei heraus wenn wir nicht lesen! Unsere Kinder sind in Gefahr!!!» (sic), so ein Facebook-Post (hier archiviert).
Publisher’s rating: Die Erläuterungen aus dem WHO-Papier sind aus dem Kontext gerissen. In Ländern mit niedriger Alphabetisierungsrate gilt – nach vorangehender Aufklärung – die Anwesenheit eines Kindes in der Schule als «konkludente Zustimmung» zu einer angekündigten Impfung. In Deutschland ist diese Vorgehensweise jedoch höchst unwahrscheinlich.
The Facebook post cited a WHO paper to suggest that a child’s mere presence at school could count as consent to vaccination, putting children in Germany at risk of being vaccinated without their parents’ agreement. The review explains that the document describes several ways people may express consent: in writing, orally, or through conduct that indicates agreement. Its school example is specifically about parents who have been informed of an upcoming vaccination sending their child to school on the designated day—not about a child’s attendance alone serving as consent without prior notice. The WHO example is presented in a particular setting: countries where vaccinations are commonly given at schools and literacy rates are comparatively low. In that context, a parent who does not attend the school on vaccination day to give oral consent may be understood to have consented by sending the child. The review says the WHO paper also reported that written consent was obtained in at least half of the 34 selected countries surveyed, and that written consent was usual in highly developed countries such as Germany; implied consent was uncommon there. For the German context, the review points to medical consent rules, German vaccination guidance and recommendations for public vaccination appointments. It reports that consent from parents or guardians is regularly required for children under 14, while some adolescents may consent themselves if the doctor considers them capable. For public appointments, written information beforehand and, where appropriate, written consent are recommended; doctors are also advised to explain the vaccination orally to children and parents, allowing questions and refusal. The review says a spokesperson for Germany’s health ministry confirmed its findings. Taken together, the WHO example does not support the post’s suggestion that German schools could rely on a child’s attendance alone to vaccinate without explicit parental agreement.
Die Suche nach einem Impfstoff gegen das Coronavirus geht im Herbst 2020 voran, ist aber noch nicht abgeschlossen. In einem Sharepic auf Facebook mit der Überschrift «Doch Zwangsimpfung?» wird die Behauptung verbreitet, dass angeblich eine Impfpflicht gegen die Seuche geplant ist, die für Kita-Kinder und Schüler gelten soll (hier archiviert). Weiterhin heißt es: «Eltern, die die Impfung ihrer Kinder verweigern sollen mit Geldstrafen, Gefängnis oder im Härtefall auch mit Kindesentzug bestraft werden.» Die Geschichte wird teils empört kommentiert: «JETZT REICHTS! Das darf niemals passieren!»
Publisher’s rating: Die Äußerungen sind frei erfunden. Das Sharepic ist als Parodie ausgewiesen.
The review examined a Facebook sharepic claiming that coronavirus vaccination would be compulsory for children in daycare and schools, with parents who refused facing fines, imprisonment or, in severe cases, loss of custody. It reports that no coronavirus vaccination requirement had been adopted at the time and cites Health Minister Jens Spahn’s mid-September statement that no such requirement was planned. The image itself also did not present genuine news: its top bar contained the word «Parodie», visible in blurred text, identifying it as satire. [S1: “In der obersten Leiste steht allerdings in unscharfer Auflösung der Begriff «Parodie» - es handelt sich also offenkundig um eine Satire.”; “in Bezug auf das Coronavirus wurde dies jedoch bislang nicht beschlossen. Gesundheitsminister Jens Spahn (CDU) hatte Mitte September erneut betont, dass keine Impfpflicht bezüglich des Coronavirus geplant sei.”] The review traced the image’s appearance to a screenshot styled to resemble Spiegel Online. It says the underlying headline was actually about Germans saving for early retirement, a February report unrelated to compulsory vaccination. That mismatch, alongside the visible parody label, indicates that the sharepic repurposed a news-site layout rather than reporting a genuine vaccination policy. [S1: “Die Überschrift «Immer mehr Deutsche sparen für vorzeitige Rente» stammt von einem Bericht, der im Februar erschienen ist - und thematisch natürlich nicht zur Diskussion um die Impfpflicht passt.”; “Transportiert wird die Behauptung in einem Sharepic, das nach einem Screenshot von Spiegel Online mit Überschrift und Teaser aussehen soll.”]
In Facebook-Postings (hier archiviert) wird behauptet, im Todesfall sei das Begräbnis kostenlos, wenn als Todesursache «Corona statt Krebs» genannt würde. «Man müsse die Statistik aufrechterhalten», heißt es weiter. Als Ort wird Kindberg in der Steiermark genannt.
Publisher’s rating: Es handelt sich um eine Falschmeldung, wie das Land Steiermark als auch die Stadtgemeinde Kindberg bestätigen. Falsche Angaben auf dem sogenannten «Todesbeschauschein» können für Ärztinnen und Ärzte disziplinarische Konsequenzen nach sich ziehen.
The reviewed Facebook posts alleged that a funeral in Kindberg, in the Austrian state of Steiermark, would be free if a death were recorded as caused by “Corona statt Krebs,” and that this was done to maintain the statistics. The review checked that specific claim with the state government and Kindberg municipality, rather than relying only on the posts’ wording. A Steiermark government spokesperson told dpa on 2 October 2020 that the claim was false and that the state does not pay funeral costs, including in connection with the pandemic. The spokesperson also said it was out of the question that the health authority had given the alleged instruction. Kindberg’s municipality separately confirmed to dpa on 28 September 2020 that the claim was false. The review also checked the alleged practice against rules for completing the death certificate: a spokesperson for the Austrian Medical Chamber said the certificate is equivalent to a medical attestation and must be based on a conscientious medical examination and careful determination of the facts. The chamber’s legal department said violations could result in disciplinary measures, ranging from a reprimand to removal from the medical register. The review adds context that could make the posts’ framing misleading: the Health Ministry said people who had tested positive for COVID-19 were counted as COVID deaths whether they died directly from the disease or “with the virus” from another potential cause. Separately, funeral costs may be covered by public authorities if neither relatives nor the deceased’s estate can pay them; the review did not describe that as a COVID-specific payment or a reward for changing a recorded cause of death.
Wear surgical masks with the white side facing out if you are healthy and the blue or colored side out if you are sick.
Publisher’s rating: False
«La NASA fa sapere che ciascuno di noi ha una possibilità di essere colpito da un meteorite pari allo 0,046%. Poiché la mortalità (calcolata sulla intera popolazione) da virus Covid è dello 0,026% conviene mettere il casco più che le mascherine»
Publisher’s rating: Panzana pazzesca
The claim attributes to NASA a 0.046 per cent chance of being hit by a meteorite and compares it with a 0.026 per cent Covid-19 death rate, concluding that a helmet makes more sense than masks. The review identifies this as a claim posted on Twitter by Lazio regional councillor Davide Barillari on October 9, 2020, and says the comparison is wrong: the meteorite figure is not a straightforward measure of an individual’s risk, while the Covid figures used in the claim understate the reported toll. The review does not describe the 0.046 per cent figure as an accurate NASA estimate. (S1) To assess meteorite risk, the review reports two estimates: astronomer Alan Harris’s estimate of roughly one death per 700,000 people over a lifetime, equivalent to 0.000143 per cent, and a 2018 estimate by Donovan L. Mathias of about 2,500 deaths worldwide per year, or around 0.00003 per cent of the global population. It explains that the lifetime estimate averages in extremely rare, catastrophic impacts that could kill enormous numbers of people; it is not an estimate of the ordinary, immediate chance of being struck. The review notes that the everyday risk of harm from a meteorite is effectively negligible. (S1) For Covid-19, the review gives Italian official deaths as of October 9, 2020: 36,083, or 0.06 per cent of Italy’s population. It says more than one million deaths had been counted worldwide, about 0.013 per cent of the global population, and cautions that both totals were likely undercounts because not all Covid-19 deaths had been recorded, particularly early in the first wave. These are population-level death figures, not a direct comparison of the same kind of individual probability as the meteorite estimate. The review therefore rejects the claim’s comparison: it overstates meteorite risk and understates Covid-19 mortality. (S1)
Pesan berantai soal ditemukannya khasiat minum kopi terhadap penderita Covid-19 oleh dokter Li Wenliang
Publisher’s rating: Keliru
People who are living with HIV and "Undetectable" can still transmit to their partners.
Publisher’s rating: Rating unavailable
«Unverfälscht und nicht bearbeitet» soll eine Grafik zu den «Todesursachen der letzten 4 Monate in Deutschland» sein - mit Zahlen des Statistischen Bundesamts und des Robert Koch-Instituts als angeblicher Quelle. Die Übersicht mit behauptetem Datenstand vom 20. September 2020 wird in vielen Facebook-Postings (hier archiviert) verbreitet.
Publisher’s rating: Die Grafik ist verfälschend und irreführend. Für den genannten Zeitraum liegen nach Angaben des Statistischen Bundesamts noch keine Zahlen zu Todesursachen vor - unklar ist, woher die angegebenen Daten stammen. Die angebliche Zahl der Corona-Todesfälle ist falsch. Die Vermischung der Werte und der gewählte Zeitraum sind zudem manipulativ.
The review examined a graphic circulated on Facebook that claimed to show causes of death in Germany over the preceding four months, supposedly using data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Its stated data cutoff was 20 September 2020. The review reports that neither institution had published cause-of-death figures for that period; Destatis had said that 2020 cause-of-death data were not yet available. The provenance of the graphic’s figures therefore could not be established from the sources it named. The review also checked the graphic’s claimed COVID-19 death total against RKI situation-report figures. It compared 9,386 deaths reported as of 20 September with 8,090 as of 20 May, a difference of 1,296—not the graphic’s claimed 427. The review further found that the graphic’s other figures were absent from the cited institutions’ published data. As a possible explanation for some of those figures, the review compared the graphic with Destatis’s latest available cause-of-death statistics, which covered 2018. It noted that the graphic’s 115,000 figure for heart-related deaths corresponds to one third of roughly 345,000 deaths from circulatory-system diseases in the 2018 statistics; the graphic’s 4,000 household-death figure similarly corresponds to one third of roughly 12,000 deaths from domestic accidents. The review presents this as a likely source, not established provenance. Finally, the review explains why the four-month window could mislead: it focused on summer months, when fewer new COVID-19 deaths were recorded, while more than 8,000 of the then-over-9,500 deaths had occurred by 20 May during the first pandemic wave. It notes that a sound comparison of causes of death would likely require year-end figures, which were not yet available.
Der neue Anstieg und die neuen Rekorde an Covid-19-Infizierten in Österreich liegt an einer höheren Anzahl von Tests. Der ORF berichtet dies im Vergleich zu ServusTv nicht.
Publisher’s rating: Es ist in zwei Perspektiven zu unterscheiden. Einerseits liegt der neue herbstliche Anstieg der Zahlen nicht an einer höheren Anzahl der Tests, wie auch der ORF berichtete. Andererseits sind die neuen Rekordzahlen nicht mit den Höchstzahlen im Frühjahr zu vergleichen, weil heute mehr getestet wird, wie ServusTv berichtete. Beide Sender berichteten korrekt, legten den Fokus aber auf zwei verschiedene Aspekte.
The Obama administration "left the strategic national stockpile empty."
Publisher’s rating: Mostly False
"The president said (the coronavirus) was a hoax."
Publisher’s rating: False
Einer schert aus? Auf Facebook kursiert die Behauptung, Lothar Wieler, Präsident der Robert Koch-Instituts, beschwere sich lautstark über den Bonner Virologen Hendrik Streeck – weil der sich in der ARD beruhigend zur aktuellen Corona-Lage in Deutschland geäußert habe. Er breche vorgegebene Regeln. «Was soll das?», wird aus Wielers vermeintlichem Twitter-Account zitiert (hier archiviert).
Publisher’s rating: Die Äußerungen sind frei erfunden. Sie gehen auf einen offenkundigen Satire-Account bei Twitter zurück.
The claim concerns a purported complaint by Robert Koch Institute president Lothar Wieler about virologist Hendrik Streeck’s reassuring comments on an ARD program. The review identifies the relevant broadcast as an “extra” program on Germany’s coronavirus situation on the evening of October 5, 2020. It says Streeck discussed how much infection counts reveal about the situation and emphasized hospital admissions and intensive-care patients as more important measures. The review then traces the alleged complaint to a post made the day after the broadcast by an account using the name “Dr. Wieler.” The post criticized the ARD program and said Streeck was not following issued rules. But the account was not presented as Wieler’s genuine account: its own biography explicitly described its author as a veterinarian and expert and stated, “Satire.” The review therefore concludes that the quoted remarks were fabricated and originated from an evident satire account. The review also notes that the post was widely shared and taken literally on social media. It places that reaction against a broader backdrop of conspiracy claims about the pandemic, but the evidence it gives for this specific claim is the post’s stated satirical identity—not an independent statement by Wieler or evidence that he made the complaint.