TallGuyJohninBKK

I did already.... On the plus side of 65, so it's especially important for me... But overall, the medical research and recommendations are compelling... And I'm not an anti-vaxer, so I believe in evaluating the credible research and recommendations on the topic, and then following the best course to protect my health.

What Is Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)? "Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common virus that can infect the nose, throat, and lungs, and can make it harder to breathe. It spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or kisses someone, sending tiny droplets into the air. You can also get it by touching something with the virus on it and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. ... While RSV can be serious for very young children and older adults, it can affect people of any age. Roughly 80% of children younger than age 2 years who are hospitalized with RSV do not have risk factors. ... Burden Even though RSV often causes mild, cold-like symptoms, it can be serious for infants, toddlers, and older adults, and can lead to severe illness and hospitalization. In the US, RSV is the most common cause of hospitalization in children younger than 1 year old. Each year in the US, RSV leads to approximately 2.1 million outpatient visits and 58,000-80,000 hospital stays among children younger than 5 years." https://www.nfid.org/infectious-disease/rsv/

My answer to that is the following:

RSV vaccine for older adults 92% protective against poor outcomes, real-world study estimates October 23, 2025 "In its first year of use in the United States, the overall estimated effectiveness of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine against respiratory illness and severe disease in adults aged 60 years and older was 92%, a team led by researchers from Kaiser Permanente Southern California and vaccine maker Pfizer reported yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The investigators used a test-negative case-control design to estimate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the RSVpreF (Abrysvo) vaccine against emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations among 696 older RSV patients, 6,540 healthy ("broad") controls, and 1,034 who tested positive only for a non–vaccine-preventable pathogen ("strict" controls) from November 2023 to April 2024. In June 2024, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that all adults aged 75 and older and those aged 60 to 74 at high risk for severe RSV receive a single dose of the vaccine. But uptake has been low. By December 2024, estimated US coverage of RSV vaccines was 34% among adults aged 75 and older and 31% in high-risk patients aged 60 to 74. ... The adjusted estimated VE against ED visits/hospitalizations was 95% among patients aged 75 and older, 92% among those with high-risk medical conditions, and 90% against critical outcomes such as intensive care unit admission or mechanical ventilation." (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv/rsv-vaccine-older-adults-92-protective-against-poor-outcomes-real

Thinking of skipping your flu shot? Here’s why you should reconsider. Four recent CDC studies highlight the necessity of getting this year’s vaccine. ... Influenza can lead to severe complications. As in past seasons, the most common complication among hospitalized patients with influenza was pneumonia, affecting approximately 30 percent of cases. More than 18 percent of patients developed the life-threatening, body-wide infection known as sepsis, and about the same amount ended up with acute kidney failure. Six percent required mechanical ventilation, and 3 percent died in the hospital. Flu is most dangerous for people with underlying conditions. As in prior years, most hospitalized patients last season (89 percent) had one or more medical conditions that made them more vulnerable to severe illness. Among children, asthma was the most common underlying issue. Among older adults, cardiovascular issues and metabolic diseases such as diabetes predominated. Age itself is another major risk factor. The highest hospitalization rates were among adults 75 and older. Influenza-related deaths among children were most frequent in infants younger than 6 months. However, healthy people can also become very sick from the flu. Severe influenza isn’t limited to those with preexisting conditions. A significant portion of people hospitalized for flu complications were previously healthy. This pattern is especially pronounced in children: Roughly half of pediatric flu deaths occurred in children with no known underlying medical conditions. Likewise, about half of those who developed IAE had no prior health issues." Vaccination reduces severe illness. Two-thirds of hospitalized patients last season were not vaccinated against influenza. Among children who died, 89 percent were not fully vaccinated. The flu shot is far from perfect; you can still become sick after getting it. But it does reduces your risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death. [emphasis added] (more) Washington Post https://archive.ph/Hehoc

Here's what the anti-vaxer movement gets you: US measles cases top 1,600 as South Carolina outbreak grows October 23, 2025 "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today the country has seen 1,618 confirmed measles cases so far in 2025, 22 more than last week. And in South Carolina, a measles outbreak linked to two schools with low student vaccination rates has grown by 4 cases. The total represents the most US infections since 1992, when the CDC reported 2,237 measles cases. [emphasis added] ... Southwest has high case count Elsewhere in the country, measles activity is still high in Utah and Arizona, with more than 100 cases reported in neighboring counties, including Mohave County, Arizona, which has seen 80 cases. Experts say the outbreak, similar to the major West Texas outbreak earlier this year, is rooted in communities with historically low vaccination rates. [emphasis added] ... Twelve percent of cases this year have required hospitalization (198 of 1,618), including 95 children under the age of 5 years. Three people have died from measles. Ninety-two percent of cases in the United States are in unvaccinated people or those whose vaccine status isn't known. [emphasis added] (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/us-measles-cases-top-1600-south-carolina-outbreak-grows

Here's what the anti-vaxer movement gets you: Australia posts record flu numbers as vaccination rates stall 20 October 2025 "GPs are sounding the alarm on Australia’s influenza vaccination rates, following a record flu season in which more than 410,000 lab-confirmed cases were reported. The startling case numbers have already outstripped the previous all-time high of 365,000, recorded last year, with Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) President Dr Michael Wright describing the latest figures as a wake-up call. “This is not a record we want to be breaking, we must boost vaccination rates and reverse this trend,” he said. “Getting vaccinated not only help keeps yourself as safe as possible, but also your friends and family members. This should act as a wake-up call to all patients across Australia.” ... While influenza case numbers are soaring, flu vaccination rates have plateaued or are trending in the opposite direction: Only 25.7% of children aged six months to five years were vaccinated in 2025, the lowest since 2021. Rates for patients over the age of 65 have also slipped, with the 60.5% rate the lowest since 2020. (more) https://www.racgp.org.au/gp-news/media-releases/2025-media-releases/october-2025/australia-posts-record-breaking-flu-numbers-as-vac RACGP "The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is the voice of general practitioners (GPs) in our growing cities and throughout rural and remote Australia. For more than 60 years, we’ve supported the backbone of Australia’s health system by setting the standards for education and practice and advocating for better health and wellbeing for all Australians."

Again, really? More from the anti-vaxer, misinformation peddling animal professor? Not a medical doctor, just a pitchman for selling dubious treatments and supplements: Here's who Ian Brighthope really is: -- --AI assisted And just who is the World Council for Health... the private group whose Australia affiliate was led by Brighthope?: "The World Council for Health is a pseudo-medical organisation dedicated to spreading misinformation to discourage COVID-19 vaccination, and promoting fake COVID-19 treatments.[1] The organization's online appearance is that of a mainstream health organization.[2] It appears to have been formed in September 2021 and its published leadership contains people which an Australian Associated Press fact check described as "figures who have promoted unfounded conspiracy theories".[3] The group was founded by Jennifer A. Hibberd and Tess Lawrie, an obstetrician and founder of the "BIRD Group", which erroneously promotes ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.[4] The World Council for Health is affiliated with Children's Health Defense, an antivaccine association led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Council_for_Health "Overall, we rate the World Council for Health a right-biased quackery level pseudoscience and conspiracy organization based on promoting unproven and false claims regarding vaccines, Covid-19, and general health." [emphasis added] https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/world-council-for-health-bias/ But even with all those facts, let's be generous and see just what Brighthope's bio says on the World Council for Health Australia's website. Is he the kind of guy you want to be getting credible COVID information and analysis from? Professor Ian E. Brighthope "Professor Ian Brighthope graduated in Agricultural Science in 1965. For the next three years he was involved in teaching and research. His research interests were in the fields of agriculture and veterinary nutrition, including the nutritional health of cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, pigs and poultry. [emphasis added] ... It was in the fields of plant and animal nutrition that Professor Brighthope became aware of the importance of optimum nutrition and the use of nutritional supplementation in animal production, the treatment of animal dysfunction and the potential of this approach in the prevention and treatment of human disease. ... He is currently researching the therapeutic potential of medicinal cannabis, a powerful health care therapeutic of the future. ... The nutraceutical approach is now used in many centres. Additional treatments are now included, in particular the use of the very effective repurposed drugs Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. https://wchaustralia.substack.com/p/introducing-world-council-for-health-54c And here we have Brighthope spewing his false anti-vaxer nonsense, and being called out by Australian Associated Press: No truth in COVID vaccine-related 'turbo cancer' warning December 23, 2024 Australian Associated Press "AAP FactCheck – Social media users are spreading untrue and unsourced claims that Australian "officials" have warned billions are going to die from "turbo cancers" linked to COVID-19 vaccines. ... The only person quoted in the article to back up the claim is Ian Brighthope6, an integrative medicine advocate the article [falsely] describes as "one of Australia's most renowned doctors". [my editorial comment added] Professor Brighthope is featured in a video version of the report embedded in the article and is identified as a "professor of nutritional and environmental medicine" (4 minutes 55 seconds) – not a virologist or epidemiologist." [emphasis added] (more) https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no-truth-in-covid-vaccine-related-turbo-cancer-warning/ Yeesh!!! Major league whack job!

More of the misinformation peddling presenters from the above nonsense movie: Peter McCullough "From the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic, McCullough has promoted misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19, its treatments, and mRNA vaccines. In October 2022, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) recommended that McCullough's board certifications be revoked due to his promotion of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines,[7][8] and by January 2025, the ABIM had revoked both of his certifications. During the COVID-19 pandemic, McCullough advocated for early treatment using the discredited treatments hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin,[29][30][28] criticized the response of the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration,[29] dissented from public health recommendations,[31][28][32] and contributed to COVID-19 misinformation." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_A._McCullough Aseem Malhotra "Aseem Malhotra is a British cardiologist and author, whose COVID-19 vaccine[1] and anti-statin views[2] have been criticised as misinformation by experts. ... During the COVID-19 pandemic, Malhotra published a book called The 21-Day Immunity Plan,[11] which claimed, without the backing of evidence from medical research, that following the diet can quickly help people reduce their risk from the virus.[12] Despite initially campaigning for the COVID vaccine,[13] he later campaigned against the use of COVID mRNA vaccines[14] contrary to the available evidence.[ In January 2023, a group of doctors, including some General Practitioners, called on the General Medical Council to investigate Aseem Malhotra's fitness to practice due to what they claim is his 'high-profile promotion of misinformation about Covid-19 mRNA vaccines'.[34] On 2 June 2023, the doctors took the first formal step in legal proceedings against the GMC by sending them the formal pre-action protocol letter." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aseem_Malhotra Jessica Rose Anti-Vaccine Authors and Debunked Claims "Many of the review’s authors have a history of spreading COVID-19 or vaccine misinformation. This includes Kirsch, who has repeatedly pushed the incorrect idea that the COVID-19 vaccines have killed millions of people worldwide, as well as Dr. Peter McCullough, Stephanie Seneff and Jessica Rose." Rose has also been accused of misusing VAERS data to claim vaccines are not safe — a common deception among the anti-vaccination community. https://www.factcheck.org/2024/02/scicheck-review-article-by-misinformation-spreaders-misleads-about-mrna-covid-19-vaccines/

Hey, it's a movie featuring a motley collection of some of the biggest anti-vaxer and COVID misinformers in the U.S. and beyond, all gathered together in the same place! That's compelling nonsense!!! Among those prominently featured in the OP's movie: Robert Malone: COVID-19 misinformation, 2021–present "Starting in mid-2021, Malone received criticism for propagating COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories, including making "dangerous" and misleading claims about the toxicity of spike proteins generated by some COVID-19 vaccines;[5][33][7][34] using interviews on mass media to popularize medication with ivermectin;[35] and tweeting a study by others questioning vaccine safety that was later retracted.[5] He said that LinkedIn temporarily suspended his account over a post stating that the Chairman of the Thomson Reuters Foundation was also a board member at Pfizer, and other posts questioning the efficacy of some COVID-19 vaccines.[36][37] Malone has also falsely claimed that the Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines could worsen COVID-19 infections,[1] and that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had not granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine in August 2021.[38] Malone has promoted hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as COVID-19 treatments.[8] In a July 2021 interview, Malone admitted to taking the Moderna vaccine, claiming that he did so due to suffering from long COVID, and because he and his wife needed to travel.[28]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Malone Paul Marik "In March 2021, Marik was reprimanded by the Virginia Board of Medicine and ordered to complete additional education in prescribing practices after it was found he had prescribed drugs, including phenobarbital, oxycodone, tramadol, alprazolam, and diazepam, to people who were not his patients.[23][24] In November 2021, he sued his employer, Sentara Health, over its ban on prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19. His clinical privileges at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital were suspended shortly afterward.[25][26] He resigned from Eastern Virginia Medical School effective December 31, 2021. Marik is a co-founder of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), a group of physicians and former journalists formed in April 2020 that advocates for ineffective COVID-19 treatments, including hydroxychloroquine, the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, and intravenous vitamin C. In August 2023, Marik was informed by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) that his board certification was to be revoked for "spreading false or inaccurate medical information".[4][35] ABIM revoked his board certification in August 2024." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_E._Marik Ryan Cole Washington regulators restrict medical license of Idaho doctor who spread COVID-19 disinformation Dr. Ryan Cole likely knew the COVID disinformation he spread was false, state medical regulators rule "Dr. Ryan Cole’s medical license is restricted in the state of Washington after state regulators concluded that Cole knowingly shared disinformation about COVID-19 and broke medical standards by virtually prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients – against medical evidence. Cole is an Idaho pathologist who has spread COVID-19 disinformation while serving as an appointed Idaho health official. The decision by the Washington Medical Commission restricts Cole for five years from practicing primary care medicine and from prescribing medications for patients in Washington. Cole’s medical practice, in Washington, is now limited to the practice of pathology." https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/01/10/washington-regulators-restrict-medical-license-of-idaho-doctor-who-spread-covid-19-disinformation/

Hey, no surprise, it's yet another post sourced to Sayer Ji, one of the biggest health-related misinformers on the internet. A guy who was dubiously recognized as one of the "Disinformation Dozen" in 2021 for spreading the most health misinformation in the U.S. during the first year of COVID pandemic. Good source! Sayer Ji's Disinformation Dozen profile from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (starting on page 28 of the report): https://252f2edd-1c8b-49f5-9bb2-cb57bb47e4ba.filesusr.com/ugd/f4d9b9_b7cedc0553604720b7137f8663366ee5.pdf https://counterhate.com/research/the-disinformation-dozen/ But it doesn't stop there for this prolific anti-vaxer whackjob: When you want bad and unsubstantiated info, where else better to turn than someone who has absolutely no medical or scientific credentials to be commenting on the topic: "Sayer Ji is author of the international best-selling book REGENERATE, chairman of the www.GlobalWellnessForum.org, founder of www.Greenmedinfo.com, and co-founder of www.StandForHealthFreedom.com" [see more info on these below] https://substack.com/@sayerji OK, so what's Sayer Ji all about? "Douglas Sayer Ji (born October 10, 1972) is the founder of alternative medicine portal GreenMedInfo, a website known for promoting various pseudoscientific publications. He was identified in 2020 as one of the largest promoters of COVID-19 misinformation on social media. [emphasis added][ ... The son of a biochemist, Ji obtained a BA in philosophy from Rutgers University in 1995.[1] He went on to manage an organic food market in Bonita Springs, Florida, after working with camps and facilities for troubled youths. He developed an interest for Zen Buddhism during that period, but stopped short of joining the movement. [emphasis added] ... Ji denies being an anti-vaccination activist, but consistently shares false or misleading messages about vaccine safety and efficacy." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayer_Ji And re the websites / businesses he's behind: Overall, we rate GreenMedInfo a quackery-level pseudoscience website based on claims not supported by science. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/greenmedinfo/ Overall, we rate Stand for Health Freedom (SHF) as right-biased due to its focus on individual liberties and opposition to government health mandates. We also rate it as questionable due to its use of selective data, omission of mainstream scientific perspectives, and lack of transparency, which contribute to a mixed rating for factual accuracy. [emphasis added] ... Stand for Health Freedom often downplays or ignores research from mainstream medical authorities. This selective presentation can result in a skewed portrayal, especially regarding vaccines and COVID-19. While raising legitimate concerns about informed consent, its selective use of facts compromises its credibility. Readers should verify claims with credible scientific sources." [emphasis added] https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/stand-for-health-freedom-bias-and-credibility/ But hey, he did manage an organic food market. So he does have some kind of expertise... in something!

Looks like the proof is in the pudding above, Comrade!

The Russians have been on their anti-vaccine social media disinformation campaigns for a long time, even dating back before the COVID pandemic... Care for some pelmeni or pirozhki along with your anti-vax disinformation??? Russia trolls 'spreading vaccination misinformation' to create discord 24 August 2018 "Social media bots and Russian trolls have been spreading disinformation about vaccines on Twitter to create social discord and distribute malware, US researchers say. Troll accounts that had attempted to influence the US election had also been tweeting about vaccines, a study says. Many posted both pro- and anti-vaccination messages to create "false equivalency", the study found. It examined thousands of tweets sent between 2014 and 2017. Vaccination was being used by trolls and sophisticated bots as a "wedge issue", said Mark Dredze from Johns Hopkins University. "By playing both sides, they erode public trust in vaccination, exposing us all to the risk of infectious diseases," he said. ... "A significant portion of the online discourse about vaccines may be generated by malicious actors with a range of hidden agendas," said David Broniatowski from George Washington University. [emphasis added] (more) BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45294192

Back from earlier in the pandemic: Russian Disinformation Targets Vaccines and the Biden Administration A new campaign appears to be spreading falsehoods about the potential for forced inoculations against Covid-19. Updated Oct. 18, 2021 "... an example of the latest effort in Russian-aligned disinformation: a campaign that taps into skepticism and fears of coronavirus vaccination to not just undermine the effort to immunize people but also try to falsely link the Biden-Harris administration to the idea of forced inoculations. ... The aim of various Russian groups continues to be to exacerbate tensions in Western societies, a key foreign policy goal of Moscow, according to American officials briefed on the disinformation efforts. The Russian and Chinese disinformation has tried to magnify the potential side effects of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, suggesting that the mRNA technology they are based on is untested or risky, State Department officials said this week. ... While some of the messaging posted on social media from Russian state-media accounts aims at a potentially wide audience, some of the most audacious disinformation postings have been aimed at much smaller, far-right audiences. [emphasis added] (more) New York Times https://archive.ph/ZRMVJ

Vaccine misinformation types and properties in Russian troll tweets ... "Existing studies demonstrate that foreign and domestic groups lead and sow discord about vaccines. One notable example is the Russian Internet Research Agency’s (IRA) deployment of operatives on social media—referred to as “trolls"... ... A recent surge in anti-vaccine sentiments and misinformation began with the publication of Andrew Wakefield’s study that inaccurately linked vaccination for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) to autism. Even after redaction, many influential celebrities and figures continue to spread these false findings, leading to a stark decrease in public vaccination, and vaccine hesitancy has been amplified in the COVID-19 era. ... Because the American public was not generally aware of the trolls’ status as Russian IRA actors endeavoring to foster antipathy, these data offer a naturalistic setting in which to investigate the content and impact of vaccination misinformation. Prior studies have shed light on these data, showing that trolls generally share polarized pro- and anti-vaccine perspectives by embodying political personas and erode public trust in vaccines." Public health implications The advent of social media has enabled the rapid spread and deep pervasion of vaccine misinformation worldwide. Public health efforts can be thwarted when vaccine misinformation prevails in online social networks. Digital misinformation spread is particularly dangerous when misinformation is high-risk and causes damage before accurate information can be shared." (more) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264410X21016480 Full text link to the article given under the header "View Open Manuscript."

Study: Reinfection doubles children’s risk for long COVID Key takeaways: Reinfection doubled youth’s risk for developing long COVID, a study found. Vaccination is the best way to prevent COVID-19 and subsequent complications, including long COVID. October 16, 2025 "Getting COVID-19 twice doubled children and adolescents’ risk for developing long COVID, according to data from the RECOVER trial published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. ... The researchers matched 123,644 patients who had COVID-19 once with 40,200 who had COVID-19 twice to determine the incidence of long COVID. Compared with kids who had COVID-19 once (incidence rate [IR] = 903.7 per million people per 6 months; 95% CI, 780.9-1,026.5), the authors reported that the incidence was twice as high after the second infection (IR = 1,883.7 per million; 95% CI, 1,565.1-2,202.3). Respiratory symptoms were the most common among both first and second infection groups." In addition to more than doubling the risk for long COVID (RR = 2.08; 95% CI, 1.68-2.59), reinfection also significantly increased the risk for myocarditis (RR = 3.6; 95% CI, 1.46-8.86), impacts on taste and smell (RR = 2.83; 95% CI, 1.41-5.67), thrombophlebitis and thromboembolism (RR = 2.28, 95% CI, 1.71-3.04) and many other symptoms, including pain, fatigue, respiratory and cardiovascular problems. [emphasis added] (more) Healio https://www.healio.com/news/pediatrics/20251016/study-reinfection-doubles-childrens-risk-for-long-covid

Emerging Misinformation Narratives September 12, 2024 "Recent political statements have further complicated the vaccine discussion. Presidential candidate Donald Trump has pledged to defund schools that mandate COVID-19 vaccines, a move that could exacerbate vaccine hesitancy and negatively impact public health efforts. While Trump previously supported the development and promotion of vaccines, his current stance has raised concerns among health experts about the potential for increased vaccine misinformation and declining vaccination rates. Trump’s rhetoric against vaccine mandates could undermine public trust in vaccination programs and jeopardize progress made in controlling preventable diseases." KFF - The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news https://www.kff.org/health-information-trust/vaccine-misinformation-spreads-as-children-head-back-to-school/

Come on... You know who you are.. admit it!!!

Amplifying doubt: How Russian trolls leveraged pandemic uncertainty for strategic gain "Social media trolling thrives in uncertainty, and Russian state-aligned trolls have demonstrated increasing sophistication in leveraging moments of crisis to advance their strategic objectives. Rather than relying on entirely novel methods, these operations—aimed at influencing public opinion—have refined, adapted, and intensified age-old propaganda techniques, supplementing them with select modern tactics such as state-aligned social media trolling.... The COVID-19 pandemic provided a uniquely volatile environment for such organized social media operations—a period characterized by fluctuating scientific understanding, rapidly shifting public health policies, and escalating social, economic, and political uncertainties. Unlike traditional war-time propaganda, which often seeks to unify a domestic population against an external enemy, the Russian state-aligned Twitter/X actors often labeled as “trolls” (henceforth referred to as “operatives”) during COVID functioned as agents of fragmentation regarding virus-related facts and the degree of their validation—deliberately sowing discord and eroding trust in Western public institutions, while prioritizing immediate engagement and emotionally charged provocations. [emphasis added] The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the staggering extent to which computational, state-aligned propaganda has evolved into a tool of strategic geopolitical contestation. While Russia was neither the sole actor nor even the first to engage in such tactics (other global actors including those in liberal democracies engaged in them), it has shown itself to be among the most adept at adapting and amplifying existing vulnerabilities, demonstrating the increasing sophistication of contemporary influence operations in the digital age. ... Russian state-aligned operatives, of course, did not introduce these vulnerabilities, but they adaptively exploited them, refining their digital tactics to erode the foundations of trust. ... They amplified both vaccine skepticism and vaccine nationalism, criticized government overreach while simultaneously advocating for authoritarian efficiency, and wove legitimate grievances about economic inequality into broader anti-Western narratives.." [emphasis added] (more) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00963402.2025.2488676#abstract Maksim Markelov is a linguist and discourse analyst, an honorary research fellow at the University of Manchester, and an associate member of the (Mis)Translating Deceit project. His research explores social media discourse, disruptive digital practices, and the dynamics of digital governance and resilience.

A crisis of credibility: the global cost of US vaccine misinformation "The global health community faces a deepening challenge—not only from infectious diseases but also from a pandemic of misinformation.1 The USA, long a cornerstone of global health leadership, has become an unexpected source of global instability in vaccination confidence. While US institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) remain internationally respected, their credibility has been compromised by domestic political interference, institutional undermining, and unregulated digital platforms. The consequences are global. During the COVID-19 pandemic, contradictory messaging on masking, vaccine safety, and mandates created domestic confusion and emboldened fringe narratives. While misinformation is not uniquely American, its scale and global reach are. An analysis of 316 million vaccine-related tweets from October, 2019 to March, 2021 across 18 languages found that the USA functioned as a major exporter of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, with American accounts disproportionately represented as central hubs in global misinformation networks.2 [emphasis added] This cross-border amplification was facilitated by the design of mainstream social media platforms—most of which are headquartered in the USA—whose algorithmic architectures prioritised emotionally charged and polarising content. A separate longitudinal analysis of almost 300 million tweets on Twitter (now X) in 2021 found that only 800 “superspreader” accounts were responsible for a third of all vaccine misinformation retweets, with the most prominent account belonging to Robert F Kennedy Jr, accounting for more than 13% of these retweets.3 These accounts operated primarily within the US digital ecosystem but had global reach, reinforcing the role of American-origin misinformation as a destabilising force in international vaccination confidence. ... This transnational dissemination of falsehoods about vaccines has undermined not only trust in public health programmes, but also the institutions that deliver them. ... There is still time to act. But it requires confronting uncomfortable truths about the role of the USA in fuelling mistrust, and the political choices that have allowed it. The world cannot afford another crisis in which lives are lost not for lack of vaccines, but for lack of truth." [emphasis added] (more) The Lancet https://www.vaccineconfidence.org/wp-content/uploads/Crisis-of-CredibilityLANCET-1.pdf https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01495-3/abstract

And here's what happens when anti-vaxers' efforts succeed in driving down child vaccination rates: Increases in vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks threaten years of progress, warn WHO, UNICEF, Gavi Agencies call for sustained investments in immunization efforts amidst looming funding cuts 24 April 2025 "Immunization efforts are under growing threat as misinformation, population growth, humanitarian crises and funding cuts jeopardize progress and leave millions of children, adolescents and adults at risk, warn WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi during World Immunization Week, 24–30 April. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis and yellow fever are rising globally, and diseases like diphtheria, that have long been held at bay or virtually disappeared in many countries, are at risk of re-emerging. In response, the agencies are calling for urgent and sustained political attention and investment to strengthen immunization programmes and protect significant progress achieved in reducing child mortality over the past 50 years. [emphasis added] ... Rising outbreaks and strained health systems Measles is making an especially dangerous comeback. The number of cases has been increasing year on year since 2021, tracking the reductions in immunization coverage that occurred during and since the COVID-19 pandemic in many communities. Measles cases reached an estimated 10.3 million in 2023, a 20% increase compared to 2022. The agencies warn that this upward trend likely continued into 2024 and 2025, as outbreaks have intensified around the world. In the past 12 months, 138 countries have reported measles cases, with 61 experiencing large or disruptive outbreaks – the highest number observed in any 12-month period since 2019." (more) https://www.who.int/news/item/24-04-2025-increases-in-vaccine-preventable-disease-outbreaks-threaten-years-of-progress--warn-who--unicef--gavi

Here's why there's a value to requiring childhood vaccinations against serious and potentially deadly diseases: Immunisation Saved At Least 154 Million Lives Over Past 50 Years – WHO 24/04/2024 "Immunisation has saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years, since the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in 1974. Of the lives saved, 146 million were children under five, and 101 million were babies. Global infant deaths have reduced by 40% and more than halved in Africa. “That’s an average of more than 1000 a day and six every minute of every year for the past 50 years,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a WHO press conference Wednesday that celebrated the program’s successes while warning of the setbacks to vaccination programmes from regional conflicts, the legacy of COVID and other risks. The measles vaccine has had the biggest impact on reducing infant mortality, accounting for 60% of the lives saved – 94 million." (more) https://healthpolicy-watch.news/immunisation-has-had-a-massive-impact-on-human-survival/

The cited CDC study above, from 2017, examined a whopping 18 deaths over a SIX YEAR period.... not deaths caused by vaccination, but deaths from ANY causes... And found the mortality rates between those who followed the vaccination schedule and those who didn't were similar: "Of 18 deaths eligible for analysis, 11 occurred in children following the schedule (2.28 per 100,000 person-years), and seven occurred in undervaccinated children (2.57 per 100,000 person-years)." What that limited data showed, in fact, was to reinforce the safety of childhood vaccinations, because there was: "No increased risk of mortality for fully vaccinated versus undervaccinated children. Findings support the safety of the schedule with regard to all-cause mortality." "Our findings support the safety of the currently recommended immunization schedule with regard to all-cause mortality." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264410X17314421?via%3Dihub Needless to say, more broadly, the purpose of childhood vaccinations is to prevent children from getting sick with a variety of childhood illnesses, keeping them out off the doctors office and keeping them out of the hospital -- which of course, isn't assessed at all in the above report.

Steve Kirsch Vaccine misinformation "In May 2021, Kirsch posted an article online claiming that COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility, while also underplaying the vaccines' ability to prevent illness and death, both statements criticized by fact checkers as being inaccurate and misleading.[16] In September 2021, speaking at an FDA meeting and identifying himself as CETF's executive director, Kirsch claimed that the vaccines "kill twice as many as they save"; the FDA responded that Kirsch had misinterpreted data and that there was no evidence his statement was true.[12][17] Reuters assessed the claim as false.[17] In October 2021, Kirsch founded the anti-vaccine group Vaccine Safety Research Foundation (VSRF),[19] which created ads depicting deaths the group attributed to vaccines.[20][21] Foundation advisors include Robert Malone, Peter McCullough, and Stephanie Seneff. Before this, in June 2021, Kirsch had appeared with Malone on the Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying podcast, which according to MIT Technical Review "introduced Kirsch to followers of the 'intellectual dark web'" and allowed him to access a "large and receptive audience to his claims about a fluvoxamine conspiracy".[12][15]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Kirsch

Predictable nonsense from Steve Kirsch, a serial anti-vax and COVID misinformer. Person: steve kirsch Review Article By Misinformation Spreaders Misleads About mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines February 16, 2024 The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have a good safety record and have saved millions of lives. But viral posts claim the contrary, citing a recent peer-reviewed article authored by known COVID-19 misinformation spreaders and published in a controversial journal. The paper repeats previously debunked claims. Flawed Analysis of New Zealand Data Doesn’t Show COVID-19 Vaccines Killed Millions December 15, 2023 Data from around the world support the general safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. Some people online, however, incorrectly claim that illegally obtained data from New Zealand show the vaccines have killed 13 million people worldwide. Experts say the analysis is bogus. COVID-19 Vaccines Save Lives, Are Not More Lethal Than COVID-19 November 6, 2023 COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of death from COVID-19. Social media posts have misused survey data and adverse events reports to falsely claim that COVID-19 vaccines have killed more people than COVID-19. But serious adverse events resulting from vaccination, including deaths, are rare. etc etc etc.... https://www.factcheck.org/person/steve-kirsch/