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Iria Carballo-Carbajal

Science Editor

Iria earned an undergraduate degree in biology and an MSc in secondary education from the University of Oviedo (Spain). After obtaining her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Tuebingen (Germany), she then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Vall d’Hebrón Research Institute (Barcelona, Spain). Her research has focused on understanding the molecular basis of Parkinson’s disease to search for new potential treatments.

The Science Feedback team

CLAIM REVIEWS

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

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

Multiple studies show that COVID-19 vaccines don’t cause pregnancy or fertility problems, despite widespread claims on social media
CLAIM
mRNA COVID-19 vaccines accumulate in the ovaries, change menstrual cycles, and lead the immune system to mount “an immune response to their own placental protein”

SOURCE: James Thorp, Michael Yeadon, The Epoch Times

Published: 07 May 2022

VERDICT

Cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children are unrelated to COVID-19 vaccines
CLAIM
Cases of acute hepatitis in children are linked to COVID-19 vaccines

SOURCE: Social media users, Instagram, Twitter

Published: 29 Apr 2022

VERDICT

Social media posts inaccurately link hormonal contraceptives with polycystic ovarian syndrome, infertility, and depression
CLAIM
Hormonal birth control is associated with “PCOS [polycystic ovarian syndrome], hormonal imbalances, depression, and infertility”

SOURCE: Anonymous, Reallygraceful

Published: 24 Apr 2022

VERDICT

Current evidence doesn’t indicate that sunscreen ingredients increase the risk of cancer; it shows that unprotected sun exposure does
CLAIM
“Sunscreens cause cancer, not the sun”; sunscreen and sunless tanning products contain cancer-causing ingredients

SOURCE: Social media users, Facebook, Instagram

Published: 09 Apr 2022

VERDICT

Children under six are at a much higher risk of hepatitis B-related complications than adults; vaccination is very safe and effective at preventing infection and disease
CLAIM
“If you don't have hepatitis B then your baby's not going to have hepatitis B”; “there's 16 times the amount of aluminum that the FDA says can poison a baby”

SOURCE: Liz Wheeler, The Liz Wheeler Show

Published: 01 Apr 2022

VERDICT

Pfizer’s confidential document shows adverse events reported following vaccination; it doesn’t demonstrate that the vaccine caused the events or is unsafe
CLAIM
Safety surveillance data in the Pfizer’s document shows harmful effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

SOURCE: Liz Wheeler, John Campbell, Social media users, Children's Health Defense, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram

Published: 11 Mar 2022

VERDICT

CDC’s updated developmental milestone checklists don’t mean that standards for children’s development are lowered; they signal a change in the surveillance strategy
CLAIM
The CDC “lowered the bar” for developmental milestones instead of acknowledging the effects of COVID-19 restrictions in children

SOURCE: Jim Hoft, Social media users, Gateway Pundit, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter

Published: 25 Feb 2022

VERDICT

Alleged spikes in medical conditions among the military after COVID-19 vaccine rollout are based on faulty data due to a database glitch
CLAIM
In 2021, cases of pregnancy and fertility issues, cancer, neurological issues, and heart disease spiked after COVID-19 vaccination

SOURCE: Thomas Renz, Rumble, Facebook, Instagram

Published: 17 Feb 2022

VERDICT