In recent years, anti-vaccination groups have been a very vocal minority on social media. Their Facebook groups often perpetuate false health information that leads to harmful, and sometimes deadly, consequences.
Tragically, such was allegedly the case for a Colorado 4-year-old, whose mom was given poor advice from members of an anti-vax group on Facebook. The mom was looking for information about the flu drug Tamiflu, and the group advised her to treat her son’s symptoms with home remedies like thyme, sliced potatoes, elderberry, and breastmilk.
According to reports by NBC, the desperate mother followed suit. Just four days later, her son was dead.
The health misinformation came from a group called “Stop Mandatory Vaccination,” one of the biggest groups of its kind, boasting over 139,000 members. They are known for spreading conspiracy theories that the outbreaks of preventable diseases are government “hoaxes.” They also cruelly target parents whose children died, claiming without evidence that vaccines are to blame.
One recent post was written by the mom of the deceased 4-year-old. She asked group members for advice, while mentioning that she declined to fill a doctor’s prescription written for her son.
“The doc prescribed Tamiflu, I did not pick it up,” she wrote.
