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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.

13,676 published reviews in this topic

NewtralHealth & medicine

Comienzan a colocar carteles de Centro de Vacunación Internacional en las Delegaciones de Gobierno

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim paired a photograph of the Navarra Government Delegation with an allegation that the government was putting up “Centro de Vacunación Internacional” signs as part of a plan to inject people with “genetic software.” The accompanying message described a supposed digital identity and vaccination certificate. The review identifies the photograph as real, but says the broader allegation attached to it is false.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Auf Facebook wird in einem Posting behauptet, dass der frühere US-Außenminister Henry Kissinger eine Zwangsimpfung der Menschen für die Kontrolle des Erbguts gefordert haben soll. In dem Beitrag heißt es unter anderem: «Sobald die Herde die obligatorische Zwangsimpfung akzeptiert, ist das Spiel vorbei! Sie werden alles – gewaltsame Blut- oder Organspende – für das "größere Wohl" akzeptieren. Wir können Kinder genetisch verändern und für das "größere Wohl" sterilisieren.» (http://dpaq.de/yjCTu) Das angebliche Zitat kursiert in verschiedenen Versionen, unter anderem auf Englisch. (http://dpaq.de/UgGzR) Oft wird in Postings behauptet, Kissinger habe diese Worte im Jahr 2009 vor Vertretern der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) geäußert.

Publisher’s rating: Es gibt keine Belege dafür, dass Kissinger das gesagt hat.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Une publication Facebook, partagée à de nombreuses reprises, laisse sous-entendre que le port du masque pourrait mener à des complications respiratoires et des évanouissements. On peut lire: « L’utilisation prolongée du masque produit de l'hypoxie... Respirer encore et encore de l'air exhalé renvoie le dioxyde de carbone au processus de respiration. Cela intoxique l'utilisateur et bien plus encore lorsqu'il doit être mobilisé, réaliser des actions de déplacement. Ça provoque le malaise, la perte de réflexes et de pensée consciente ». Le post suggère par ailleurs de « lever le masque toutes les 10 minutes pour continuer à vous sentir en bonne santé ».

Publisher’s rating: Cette publication n’est pas une source d’information sérieuse. Le port du masque prolongé, au travail, dans la rue ou dans la voiture, ne provoque ni d’intoxication ni d’évanouissement des personnes qui les portent.

The review examined a widely shared Facebook post claiming that prolonged mask use causes hypoxia, carbon-dioxide poisoning and fainting, and advising people to lift their masks every ten minutes. It reports that the post appeared under different names in different groups, including “Docteur Dennis A Castro B” and “Carolina Sánchez Rocca.” The reviewers say that searches on professional social networks and Google found no matching medical specialists with those spellings; the excerpt does not describe any further verification of the authors’ identities. To assess the hypoxia claim, the review cites the Larousse Medical definition of hypoxia as reduced oxygen concentration in the blood and lists anemia, altitude, chronic lung disease and heart disease as more usual causes. It explicitly notes that masks are not among the cited causes. These points address the post’s proposed mechanism, though the excerpt does not provide measurements from a controlled study. The review also reports responses from two Belgian clinicians contacted by dpa. Infectiologist Yves Van Laethem said oxygen molecules pass through mask material and cited surgeons wearing masks for several hours. Laurent Jadot, an infectiologist and intensivist, rejected the claim that masks cause fainting from inadequate oxygenation, while noting an exception for some people with pre-existing chronic illness and breathing difficulties. The review further counters the advice to remove the mask every ten minutes with Swiss public-health guidance not to touch a mask once it is on, and cites Futura Sciences’ statement that long wear may cause discomfort but not hypoxia. Taken together, the cited expert views and guidance contradict the post’s claims about poisoning, fainting and routine mask removal.

BR24 FaktenfuchsHealth & medicine

"Water Challenge" oder "Water Fasting" schwemmt Giftstoffe aus, man hat mehr Energie und man fühlt sich frei. Es führt zu drastischen Gewichtsverlusten.

Publisher’s rating: Irreführend, potenziell gefährlich. Das Vorgenen ist in der Medizin als Null-Diät bekannt. Zum Abnehmen wird es nicht empfohlen. Erstens gilt die Null-Diät als wenig effizient. Zweitens kann es zu zahlreichen Nebenwirkungen kommen. Bei Kindern und Jugendlichen sehen Experten größere Gefahren (Osteoporose). Die psychologischen Effekte wirken nicht nachhaltig. Für einige Tage sei das Wasserfasten akzeptabel. Je länger man die Challenge jedoch mache, desto größer sei die Gefahr für mögliche Komplikationen.

FACTLYHealth & medicine

The COVID-19 findings by Italy’s Ministry of Health including the cure for COVID-19

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The post claimed that Italy’s Ministry of Health had issued a set of COVID-19 findings, including that a cure had been found. FACTLY’s review says the findings attributed to the ministry were not issued by it and that most were false. It also reports that some claims were debunked by the ministry itself. On the question of a cure, the review points to the Italian Ministry of Health’s website, which said there was no specific treatment for COVID-19. It describes care as mainly symptomatic and supportive, and notes that clinical trials were underway. The review also says the ministry had debunked the claim that Italy had found a cure. This evidence contradicts the post’s central assertion that a cure had been discovered and announced by Italy’s health authorities. The post’s proposed treatment included antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and aspirin. FACTLY reports that the ministry’s website said no drug had yet proved effective in treating COVID-19 and that no specific drug was available. The review further says the WHO had not issued guidance against autopsies: its interim guidance instead listed safety measures for conducting them. Together, these points challenge both the attributed findings and several supporting claims in the post.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Auf Facebook werden derzeit vermehrt Beiträge geteilt, in denen davon die Rede ist, dass am Coronavirus erkrankte Patienten bisher falsch behandelt worden seien. Italienische Ärzte hätten bei Autopsien entdeckt, dass die Todesopfer nicht an einem Virus, sondern an einer bakteriellen Infektion erkrankt und letztlich an einer «Thrombose» gestorben seien. Patienten bräuchten daher keine Beatmungsgeräte, sondern unter anderem Antibiotika und Aspirin, um ihr Blut zu verdünnen.

Publisher’s rating: Experten bestätigen, dass es sich bei dem Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 um eine Viruserkrankung handelt. Mit Aspirin könne das Virus nicht bekämpft oder geheilt werden. Dass Italiens Gesundheitsministerium die Quelle der in mehreren Sprachen und Ländern verbreiteten «sensationellen Nachricht» sei, trifft nicht zu.

The review addresses Facebook posts alleging that autopsies in Italy showed people said to have died of COVID-19 actually had a bacterial infection and died from thrombosis. The posts further claimed patients needed antibiotics and aspirin rather than breathing support. The review consulted virologists Lukas Weseslindtner of the Medical University of Vienna and Steven Van Gucht, spokesperson for Belgium’s Sciensano public health institute. Both described thrombosis as a possible complication in some severe cases, not as evidence that the underlying illness is bacterial: Weseslindtner said a bacterial infection can occur alongside the coronavirus, while Van Gucht said thrombosis and pneumonia are both possible reactions to the virus. The distinction matters to the posts’ central explanation. Weseslindtner said antibiotics, aspirin and paracetamol are not specific treatments for the coronavirus and do not cure or combat it. The review therefore does not support replacing respiratory support with those medicines. It also reports that Italy’s health ministry spokesperson Nicola Del Duce denied that the ministry had issued the alleged reports or begun prescribing aspirin on the basis of autopsy findings. The ministry’s supposed endorsement is thus not established by the evidence presented.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Une prétendue lettre de Madame de Sévigné, épistolière française du XVIIe siècle, circule sur les réseaux sociaux et ferait écho à la situation pandémique engendrée par le coronavirus. Il est question d'un " fléau " qui se serait abattu en 1687 sur Paris et qui se serait propagé " comme un feu de bois sec ". " Le roi et Mazarin nous confinent tous dans nos appartements ", est-il écrit. Ce texte épistolaire, dans un style similaire aux autres lettres de Madame de Sévigné, conclue en mentionnant de " drôles de masques " à la mode qui empêcheraient " de se contaminer "

Publisher’s rating: il s'agit ici d'un pastiche - une imitation du style propre aux textes de Madame de Sévigné. Celui-ci comporte cependant de nombreux anachronismes, décrédibilisant son origine.

The claim concerns a social-media text presented as a letter by Madame de Sévigné, supposedly written in 1687 and describing a Parisian plague, confinement ordered by the king and Mazarin, and masks. The Deutsche Presse-Agentur review examined the text’s historical plausibility, focusing on named people, the alleged event, and the language used. Its investigation identifies anachronisms that undermine the attribution. [Source: S1 — “Une prétendue lettre de Madame de Sévigné, épistolière française du XVIIe siècle, circule sur les réseaux sociaux et ferait écho à la situation pandémique engendrée par le coronavirus.”; “Le cardinal Mazarin, qui serait à l'origine du confinement de 1687”] A central chronological problem is that the letter refers to Cardinal Mazarin as if he were involved in the supposed 1687 confinement, although the review says he died in 1661. It also says the letter describes Vatel as providing meals in 1687, despite his death in 1671. The review notes that Sévigné’s account of Vatel’s death appears in a genuine letter dated 26 April 1671, making the alleged later reference especially incompatible with the proposed date. [Source: S1 — “Le cardinal Mazarin, qui serait à l'origine du confinement de 1687, est cependant décédé 26 ans plus tôt, en 1661”; “Quant à Vatel, prestigieux cuisinier et pâtissier, il s'ôta la vie en 1671”; “cette phrase ne peut donc pas être vraie si la lettre a bien été écrite en 1687.”] The review adds that it found no document recording the sudden plague described in the text. It also explains that “confiner,” in the period from the sixteenth to the late seventeenth century, was chiefly used in a penal sense—imprisonment following a sentence—rather than in the spatial-isolation sense used in the alleged letter. Together, the chronological contradictions, lack of documentary support for the event, and linguistic evidence indicate that the text is a modern imitation rather than an authentic letter. [Source: S1 — “aucun document ne fait état de ce soudain «fléau» dont la lettre fait mention.”; “Du XVIe à la fin XVIIe siècle, il ne signifiait cependant pas la même chose. Le terme était principalement utilisé dans le domaine pénal pour exprimer l'emprisonnement dans le cadre d'une condamnation”]

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Une publication Facebook, partagée à de nombreuses reprises, laisse sous-entendre que le port du masque pourrait mener à des complications respiratoires et des évanouissements. On peut lire: « L’utilisation prolongée du masque produit de l'hypoxie... Respirer encore et encore de l'air exhalé renvoie le dioxyde de carbone au processus de respiration. Cela intoxique l'utilisateur et bien plus encore lorsqu'il doit être mobilisé, réaliser des actions de déplacement. Ça provoque le malaise, la perte de réflexes et de pensée consciente ». Le post suggère par ailleurs de « lever le masque toutes les 10 minutes pour continuer à vous sentir en bonne santé ».

Publisher’s rating: Cette publication n’est pas une source d’information sérieuse. Le port du masque prolongé, au travail, dans la rue ou dans la voiture, ne provoque ni d’intoxication ni d’évanouissement des personnes qui les portent.

The review examines a Facebook post claiming that wearing a mask for a long time causes hypoxia, carbon-dioxide poisoning, fainting, and loss of clear thinking, and advising people to lift the mask every ten minutes. It reports that the post appeared under different names in different groups: “Docteur Dennis A Castro B” and “Carolina Sánchez Rocca.” The review says searches on LinkedIn and Google found no results for medical specialists with those names as spelled in the posts. To assess the medical claims, the review consulted infectious-disease specialists Yves Van Laethem, spokesperson for Belgium’s Interfederal Covid-19 effort, and Dr Laurent Jadot, an infectious-disease and intensive-care specialist. Van Laethem said oxygen molecules pass through mask material and cited surgeons wearing masks for hours during operations. Jadot rejected the idea that masks cause fainting from oxygen deprivation, while noting an exception for some people with pre-existing chronic illness and breathing difficulties. He also said oxygen deficiency would be perceptible rather than occurring suddenly. The review further contrasts the post’s advice to lift the mask regularly with Belgian public-health and crisis-centre guidance: avoid touching a mask once it is on, except at the sides to adjust it if needed, and avoid repeatedly removing and replacing it. Together, the specialist comments and cited guidance do not support the post’s asserted harms or its proposed ten-minute routine.