Kremlin accused of link to measles hysteria
RUSSia was accused last night of spreading vaccine scare stories.
Whitehall sources fear the Kremlin is using social media to undermine confidence in the inoculation system.
‘There is evidence of Russian involvement in this,’ an insider said. ‘it is not clear exactly what the motive is but it fits with a pattern of Russia trying to destabilise Western democracies by spreading disinformation.
‘it is a source of concern and it is something that is being looked at.’
The spread of ‘anti-vax’ propaganda is blamed for a dangerous decline in children having measles jabs.
health Secretary Matt hancock will use a summit on Monday to challenge social media giants to take down the material or face the threat of legislation.
Technology firms claim to be taking the issue seriously. But a survey of leading websites by the Daily Mail yesterday uncovered a series of dangerous and false claims.
instagram accounts promising the ‘truth’
Stream of fake claims
about vaccinations have clocked up tens of thousands of followers. The accounts carry a stream of fake claims linking jabs to autism and cancer.
Facebook was also found to be carrying posts declaring that ‘ measles is a benign childhood illness’, and a search for ‘vaccine’ on amazon UK yielded a page dominated by anti-vaccination books.
a government source said Mr hancock was worried that there was too much complacency over the possibility of Russian involvement. health officials have been asked to examine an american study published last year that suggested Russian internet trolls were spreading disinformation about vaccines.
Published in the american Journal of Public health, the research found that the same Russian ‘ bots’ that were attempting to influence the US elections were also tweeting about vaccines.
Some of the accounts were linked to the internet Research agency, a shadowy St Petersburg firm said to be backed by the Russian government.
‘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. Concern about anti-vax claims soared this week after figures revealed that half a million British children were not protected against measles between 2010 and 2017.
Take-up of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab fell for the fourth year in a row, while cases of measles in England almost quadrupled. Mr hancock said the situation was so serious that ministers might have to consider banning unvaccinated children from school. The health Secretary said: ‘i wouldn’t rule out anything.’ he also rounded on social media firms, saying he wanted them to ‘promote the scientific facts’. he added: ‘Vaccination is safe, it’s very, very important for public health – for everybody’s health – and we’re going to tackle it.’
Professor helen Stokes-lampard, who chairs the Royal College of gPs, yesterday welcomed the prospect of a clampdown on antivax campaigns.
She said: ‘There is a deeply concerning and misleading school of thought – especially online and across social media – casting doubt over the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
‘Of all the fake health news out there, anti-vaccination propaganda is amongst the most damaging for our patients’ health and the health of society.
‘One consequence is we are seeing an increase in cases of potentially deadly diseases, such as measles – a condition that in the UK we were on the verge of eradicating a few years ago.’
Chris Snowdon, of the institute of Economic affairs, said: ‘antivaxxers are dangerously misguided and the public must be reassured that the MMR vaccine is safe, but this kind of censorship sets a worrying precedent.
‘This issue poses complex ethical questions but, fundamentally, the government should not use the law to silence people who have the wrong opinions.’
a Facebook spokesman said: ‘We are working to tackle vaccine misinformation on Facebook by reducing its distribution and providing people with authoritative information on the topic.’
he said Facebook would take action against any verifiable vaccine hoaxes.