![]() ![]() "Once people have made up their minds about something, it's hard for them to change their opinions," said lead author Mark Dredze of Johns Hopkins. When other people who are searching for information about Zika come across a story like this, it may lead them to avoid vaccination and distrust health authorities, the researchers concluded. They also insisted that drug companies were blaming Zika virus in order to earn profits from the sale of future Zika vaccines. Some conspiracy theorists claimed that the increase in microcephaly was caused by the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. In the new study, the research team members unearthed several unfounded Zika-related claims. These suspicions, bolstered by social media posts, can have a lasting effect on people's health-related decisions, the researchers said. This has resulted in doubts about whether microcephaly is truly caused by the virus and whether future vaccinations will be safe. Much uncertainty still surrounds the origin and effects of the Zika virus. Spread by mosquitos and through sexual intercourse, Zika virus has been linked to babies being born with small heads and brains, a condition called microcephaly. The Zika virus is found in Asia, Africa, and South America, with Brazil and neighboring countries seeing a significant rise in cases in recent months. In their journal article, the researchers pointed out that although the development of a Zika vaccine is in its early stages, "there is already cause for concern regarding the success of the eventual vaccination campaign." And the growth of social media, they wrote, "has created a fertile environment for conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific claims." The researchers also encouraged public health authorities to use this same real-time social media monitoring method to keep track of-and respond quickly to-unsubstantiated claims that could hinder upcoming inoculations. The researchers behind the study-from Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, and the University of Georgia-say the misinformation they detected by analyzing thousands of Twitter posts could cause many vulnerable people to refuse future Zika vaccinations. ![]()
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