On September 3, 2020, CHD’s Facebook page posted a link to an article on their website about oral polio vaccines causing polio outbreaks in Africa. Science Feedback checked information in the article, an ‘independent third-party fact checker’ working with Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram, among other platforms).

Contested claim: “Polio Vaccine Causing Polio Outbreaks in Africa, WHO Admits“ (CHD, 200903)

Science Feedback’s fact-check verdict: Inaccurate (200910)

Facebook action: “Fact-checked” grey overlay (no Facebook screenshot provided in CHD complaint)

Context: Science Feedback deemed the claim “inaccurate,” asserting in their Key Takeaway that “The oral polio vaccine contains a live but weakened form of the poliovirus, which does not cause infection” (Figure 2). According to the CHD vs Facebook Complaint, Facebook posted a grey overlay with the flag that Science Feedback fact-checked CHD’s post. However, the Facebook overlay still needs to be confirmed (it was not included in the Complaint).

Verdict detail: “Inaccurate: The oral polio vaccine contains a live but weakened form of the poliovirus that cannot cause the disease. Virus shedding from vaccinated children can confer partial protection to unvaccinated children around them. The viruses that cause vaccine-derived polio cases are different from that contained in the oral polio vaccine, and arise only on very rare occasions in areas with poor sanitation.

“Lacks context: The article fails to explain that vaccine-derived polio cases occur only in individuals who are not vaccinated, and that the number of polio cases derived from the oral vaccine is much lower than the number of cases caused by the wild poliovirus before the oral vaccine was available” (Science Feedback, 200910).

Accurate: Science Feedback’s fact-check does not explicitly address CHD’s article. Nevertheless, the claim that the oral polio vaccine (OPV) can cause poliovirus (Table 1) and paralytic poliomyelitis (Platt et al., 2014) is accurate, effectively invalidating Science Feedback’s “inaccurate” verdict.

Science Feedback asserts, “The oral polio vaccine contains a live but weakened form of the poliovirus that cannot cause the disease.” Yet, as a 2019 article in Science (cited by CHD’s article) explains: “In Africa, the wild polio virus appears to be gone, but the vaccine-derived viruses circulating there are just as dangerous. These strains arise when the weakened live virus used in the oral polio vaccine (OPV) mutates and regains its virulence” (Science, 190710), directly contradicting Science Feedback’s assertion. It has been repeatedly shown and is widely acknowledged (CDC; WHO; UNICEF) that the OPV can spawn virulent strains of the poliovirus and cause disease, specifically poliomyelitis (often referred to as VAPP or vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis).

Science Feedback also asserts the claim lacks context because “The article fails to explain that vaccine-derived polio cases occur only in individuals who are not vaccinated.” However, the 2019 Science article also states: “To prevent outbreaks of vaccine-derived virus, WHO has declared that once the wild virus is gone, countries must stop all use of OPV” (Science, 190710). Moreover, a 2014 study reported that among global VAPP cases, “74% occurred after the individual received their first dose of OPV, and 8%, 7%, and 11% occurred after receiving their second, third, or 4 or more doses, respectively” (Platt et al., 2014). This contradicts Science Feedback’s assertion that “vaccine-derived polio cases occur only in individuals who are not vaccinated.”

Assessment highlights:

• Science Feedback’s fact-check does not explicitly address CHD’s article (i.e., CHD, 200903)
• Science Feedback’s key assertion—that the oral polio vaccine contains a live but weakened form of the poliovirus that does not cause infection—is false. The CHD article cites several cases and studies and quotes health officials who clearly state the opposite.
• The claim that OPV can cause poliovirus cases and paralytic poliomyelitis is accurate, effectively invalidating Science Feedback’s “inaccurate” verdict.

CHD filed a lawsuit claiming that Facebook, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and associated fact-checking organizations unfairly targeted and censored their content. The lawsuit alleges that this censorship violated CHD’s constitutional rights by collaborating with government entities to suppress free speech, falsely labeling CHD’s content as misinformation, engaging in deceptive and coordinated efforts to discredit their work, and causing significant reputational and financial harm. The following excerpt is taken from CHD’s 2020 complaint document.

Respondent: CHD (CHD vs Facebook Complaint, 201113)

• 4.183 | Science Feedback’s “fact-check” is false and misleading in that it does not specifically address CHD’s article.
• 4.183 | Moreover, Science Feedback’s key point — that the oral polio vaccine contains a live but weakened form of the poliovirus which does not cause infection — is patently false.
• 4.183 | The CHD article cites several cases and studies, and quotes health officials who flatly state the opposite. Defendants were aware, or acted in reckless disregard, of these and other specific falsities in the Science Feedback opposition “fact-check,” but posted it on CHD’s page, in furtherance of their fraudulent scheme, nonetheless.

Highlights:

• Science Feedback’s key assertion—that the oral polio vaccine contains a live but weakened form of the poliovirus that does not cause infection — is false. The CHD article cites several cases and studies and quotes health officials who clearly state the opposite.
• A 2014 study reported that among global VAPP (vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis) cases, “74% occurred after the individual received their first dose of OPV, and 8%, 7%, and 11% occurred after receiving their second, third, or 4 or more doses, respectively” (Platt et al., 2014). This contradicts Science Feedback’s assertion that “vaccine-derived polio cases occur only in individuals who are not vaccinated.”
• As a 2019 article in Science (cited by CHD’s article) explains: “In Africa, the wild polio virus appears to be gone, but the vaccine-derived viruses circulating there are just as dangerous. These strains arise when the weakened live virus used in the oral polio vaccine (OPV) mutates and regains its virulence” (Science, 190710), directly contradicting Science Feedback’s assertion. It has been repeatedly shown and is widely acknowledged (CDC; WHO; UNICEF) that the OPV can spawn virulent strains of the poliovirus and cause disease, specifically poliomyelitis.