Sperm washing to help HIV-discordant couples conceive biological children safely was reported in the 90s; not “huge medical breakthrough” in 2022

CLAIM
A South African scientist made a “huge medical breakthrough” by successfully removing HIV from a sperm cell in a lab

SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook

Published: 31 May 2022

VERDICT

No scientific data support the existence of orgone and its ability to cure cancer

CLAIM
“Wilhelm Reich invented a way to cure cancer”

SOURCE: Facebook Users, Facebook

Published: 27 May 2022

VERDICT

Monkeypox outbreak triggers conspiracy theories on social media claiming that it was planned or incorrectly linking it to COVID-19 vaccines

CLAIM
Monkeypox is caused by COVID-19 vaccines; a 2021 tabletop exercise portraying a monkeypox pandemic is evidence that global leaders planned the outbreak; the monkeypox vaccine was “ready” before the outbreak

SOURCE: Social media users, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube

Published: 26 May 2022

VERDICT

No reliable scientific evidence supports the use of dietary supplements marketed as weight loss and blood pressure aids in viral Facebook posts

CLAIM
Exipure weight loss supplement is scientifically proven to be effective; BPS-5 supplement effectively reduces blood pressure

SOURCE: Anonymous, Facebook

Published: 26 May 2022

VERDICT

Following COVID-19 vaccination, the spike protein is produced in small quantities in the body, which have not been shown to be harmful

CLAIM
“[Spike] is harmful to the human body in at least eight different ways [and] can persist in the human body for weeks, or even months, after a person gets vaccinated”

SOURCE: Roma Balmakov, The Epoch Times

Published: 25 May 2022

VERDICT

Scientific evidence doesn’t support the claim that induced abortion increases the risk of breast cancer and mental illness

CLAIM
Abortion increases the risk of breast cancer, mental illness, and preterm labor

SOURCE: Christina Francis, George Delgado, Newsmax

Published: 23 May 2022

VERDICT

No scientific evidence supports the claim that consuming apple cider vinegar is a rapid and effective long-term weight control approach

CLAIM
Apple cider vinegar and thermogenic supplements are effective for rapid weight loss

SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook

Published: 20 May 2022

VERDICT

Event 201 isn’t evidence that authorities knew or planned the COVID-19 pandemic

CLAIM
Event 201 is evidence that officials already knew about COVID-19

SOURCE: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Facebook

Published: 20 May 2022

VERDICT

The benefits of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing severe disease and other complications outweigh the risk of myocarditis, which is higher after COVID-19 itself

CLAIM
“they were not able to find a single healthy child in america that died from COVID-19 […] but one in every 2700 people are getting myocarditis”; “athletes are collapsing on playing fields as for myocarditis and it's from the vaccines”; Moderna patent filed in 2019 is linked to the pandemic

SOURCE: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., This Past Weekend with Theo Von

Published: 18 May 2022

VERDICT

The U.S. COVID-19 death toll reached the 1 million mark in May 2022; 15 million estimated deaths worldwide

CLAIM
U.S. deaths from COVID-19 hit 1 million

SOURCE: Carla Johnson, Associated Press

Published: 17 May 2022

VERDICT