Health
Fact checks about medical conditions, the NHS, social care and government funding of national health services
Turpentine is not a treatment for sepsis—it is poisonous when swallowed
Dr Andrew Kaufman, a US psychiatrist, has claimed that turpentine can be used as a treatment for sepsis. It cannot, and may cause harm if ingested. Sepsis must be treated …
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No graphene oxide in Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine
The substance was used as a tool to study a sample during the vaccine’s development. It is not an ingredient in the vaccine itself.
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Widespread confusion over number of ‘people’ on NHS waiting lists
The latest figures show there are 7.8 million cases waiting for planned treatment in England—but only 6.5 million people, because some are waiting for more than one thing.
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Myocarditis after Covid vaccines doesn’t kill one in five
A video of a man talking to a pharmacist about myocarditis has resurfaced on social media. Claims in the video about the mortality rate of the condition are incorrect.
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Around 6.5 million patients in England on hospital waiting lists
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves seems to have mistaken the number of treatments waiting to begin with the number of individuals awaiting treatment.
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Covid-19 vaccines did not kill 30 people at one clinic in New Zealand
This claim comes from an activist who supplied no supporting evidence. It is contradicted by data on deaths published by the New Zealand government.
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Instagram post lacks vital context about Covid deaths among the vaccinated
Virtually all the most vulnerable people are vaccinated against Covid, so most of the people who die of it are too.
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Google snippets falsely claimed eating glass has health benefits
The search engine highlighted text that appeared to be AI-generated false information published online as an example of an AI ‘hallucination’.
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English maternity services rated worse on safety specifically than overall
The Mirror and BBC Radio reported a figure on official maternity ratings without clarifying that it referred to safety specifically.
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Smoking causes about one in four deaths from cancer
Steve Barclay confused smoking’s share of cancer deaths with its share of cancer cases, in comments on the BBC and Sky.
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