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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.

13,677 published reviews in this topic

Deutsche Presse-AgenturHealth & medicine

Ratschläge und Gerüchte zum Einfluss bestimmter Medikamente auf eine Coronavirus-Infektion sorgen derzeit für Verunsicherung. In sozialen Netzwerken verbreitete sich eine Nachricht, der zufolge Ibuprofen die Vermehrung von Coronaviren begünstige. Dies hätten Forscher der Uniklinik Wien herausgefunden, hieß es

Publisher’s rating: Die Uniklinik Wien distanziert sich von den Behauptungen und spricht von "Fake News". Es ist nicht belegt, dass Ibuprofen die Vermehrung des Virus Sars-CoV-2 verstärkt.

FACTLYHealth & medicine

After husband tested positive for coronavirus, wife fled from Banglore to Agra

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a woman who travelled to Agra after returning from an overseas honeymoon with her husband, and alleged that she fled after he tested positive for coronavirus. FACTLY’s review says the husband was confirmed positive on 12 March, while his wife went to her parents’ home in Agra on 9 March. That chronology means she left before his confirmation, rather than fleeing after it. The review also says she did not enter Bangalore city. To check the post, FACTLY says it searched online and found a Times of India article about the couple. It reports that the article was later updated to clarify the woman left on 9 March and that her husband tested positive on 12 March. FACTLY further notes that the couple travelled to Greece, Switzerland and France, not Italy as the post claimed. The review also recounts Karnataka medical education minister K. Sudhakar’s account: the couple reached Bengaluru from Mumbai on 8 March at 9:45 pm; the woman took an early flight to New Delhi at 1:40 am on 9 March, then the 8:10 am Gatimaan Express to Agra. FACTLY says a Karnataka government flowchart showed the husband’s whereabouts and that the minister clarified the woman had not fled to her parents’ home. These details support the review’s conclusion that the post’s central claim misrepresented both the timing and circumstances of her journey.

VishvasNewsHealth & medicine

Turmeric and lemon help fight against coronavirus

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

VishvasNews examined a social-media post attributed to Sawan Singh that said turmeric and lemon could be used regularly to fight coronavirus and that homemade rasam was useful. The review says it investigated that post and concluded its central claim was unsupported; it does not report a clinical trial or test of the foods themselves. The distinction matters: the evidence it presents is expert comment and an account of what health authorities said, not a direct experiment reported in the article. The review quotes Dr. Vimal N., identified as a Pharmacovigilance Officer at CCRS, Ministry of AYUSH. He said turmeric and lemon may have health-related properties, but there was no evidence that they fight coronavirus. On rasam, he described spices as potentially helping prevent cough and respiratory problems, while also saying there was no evidence it could cure coronavirus. These qualifications do not establish that the foods prevent or treat COVID-19. The article also attributes to WHO officials the statement that there was no scientific evidence lemon, turmeric, or rasam prevents COVID-19, while noting WHO’s general recommendation to eat adequate fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy diet. It separately says the CDC reported no vaccine was then available to prevent 2019-nCoV infection. Taken together, the review’s cited evidence addresses the post’s prevention and treatment implications by finding no support for those specific remedies; its general remarks about nutrition or spices do not substantiate the claimed protection.

FACTLYHealth & medicine

Details of three Coronavirus positive cases reported in Kothapet (Hyderabad)

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The review examined a social-media message, attributed to Lion Rajanikanth Koka, that said three coronavirus-positive cases had been reported in Kothapet, Hyderabad. It focused on the message’s specific allegations about cases in SRL Colony, Satyangar Colony, and Laxminagar Colony, rather than on a general question about coronavirus cases in the city. FACTLY reports that it contacted Telangana Director of Public Health Dr. G. Srinivasa Rao, who told the outlet the message was false. It also cites a Rachakonda Police tweet stating that an FIR had been filed at Chaitanyapuri police station, in the Kothapet area, against the person who spread the claim. The police statement, as quoted in the review, concerned the named colonies and said criminal proceedings had begun and an investigation was underway. The review adds that it found a screenshot of a chat in which Koka regretted sharing the message and asked others not to forward it, but explicitly says it could not establish the screenshot’s authenticity. That screenshot therefore is not presented as verified evidence. The review’s conclusion rests on the public-health director’s response and the police statement; it also notes that FACTLY tried to contact Koka and that the article would be updated if a response was received.

APA - Austria Presse AgenturHealth & medicine

Von Jahr zu Jahr stehen dem Bundesheer weniger taugliche junge Männer zur Verfügung, was am immer schlechteren Gesundheitszustand der Rekruten liegt.

Publisher’s rating: Eingeschränkt richtig. Die Rate der Wehrtauglichen sinkt, allerdings ist die Gesundheit nicht der einzige Grund dafür. Auch die zurückgehenden Geburtenzahlen und die steigende Attraktivität des Zivildienstes tragen dazu bei, dass dem Bundesheer die jungen Männer abhanden kommen.

NewtralHealth & medicine

La ministra de Sanidad de Egipto ha entregado a China la vacuna del coronavirus

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerned a circulating WhatsApp message asserting that Egypt’s health minister, identified in the message as “Dr. Hala,” had given China a coronavirus treatment that had worked in more than seven cases. The review says the message described the substance as a serum, while the claim’s headline frames it as a vaccine. It places the alleged handover during Hala Zayed’s visit to Beijing. The review reports that Egypt’s Health Ministry spokesperson, Khaled Megahed, denied that Zayed had delivered a coronavirus vaccine to China. It says the Egyptian State Information Service described her visit as an expression of solidarity with China and an opportunity to share experience and data with Chinese health authorities—not as a vaccine transfer. The review also reports that Egypt Independent and the ministry’s Facebook account rejected the rumor. As additional context, the review cites the World Health Organization’s statement that, at the time, there was no specific vaccine or antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-2019, though possible vaccines and treatments were under investigation. Together, the reported denial of a handover and the absence of an available specific vaccine or antiviral treatment address the central assertion in the message.

台灣事實查核中心Health & medicine

【部分錯誤】網傳「原來味噌比黑咖啡更醒腦防癌、抗輻射...味噌的5大好處...可排出人體輻射…幫助醒腦...改善酸性體質...抗老化...降低罹癌風險」？

Publisher’s rating: 部分錯誤

The review examined a circulating message claiming that miso was more effective than black coffee for alertness and that it could remove radiation, improve an “acidic body,” slow aging and reduce cancer risk. It reports that miso is made from fermented soybeans and contains protein, lecithin, dietary fibre, isoflavones and some vitamins, but also warns that it is high in sodium. For radiation claims, the review consulted experts. A National Taiwan University biotechnology professor said miso should not remove radiation from the body; a nutritionist noted that the cited Japanese evidence involved animal experiments and was not sufficient clinical evidence. A physician explained that radiation is energy and that miso cannot remove it. The review likewise found no sufficient evidence for the claimed alertness, anti-aging or cancer-prevention effects: cited findings included small or animal studies, without large human studies to establish those benefits. It also notes that the claim about correcting body acidity lacks a medical basis, citing the body’s blood-pH range of 7.35–7.45. The review’s conclusion is qualified rather than a rejection of miso as food: it recognizes its nutrients and active beneficial bacteria, and says those bacteria survive less well the longer miso is heated. It advises moderation because of miso’s high sodium content, which experts said could burden the kidneys and cardiovascular system if consumed in excess.