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False claims about bird flu: Conversations down from June peak but conspiracies continue

Read an overview of the misleading and false online narratives from the most highly engaged social media posts about bird flu between mid-May and mid-July 2024.

Introduction

Bird flu has remained a topic of concern and conspiracy theories in online conversations, although the public health risk remains low. Ten human H5 bird flu cases have been reported in the U.S. since April, all contracted from contact with infected livestock. Additionally, a man in Mexico died after infection with H5N2 bird flu on April 24, the first human death from the H5N2 flu strain, which is related to but distinct from the H5N1 bird flu strain causing the current U.S. outbreak.

Many false narratives about bird flu are circulating online, including conspiracy theories about the origin and severity of the virus and opposition to H5N1 bird flu vaccines. As with previous false claims about bird flu observed by PGP’s Monitoring Lab, COVID-19 narratives continue to be interwoven with bird flu conspiracies.  

Since February 6 when the Monitoring Lab first started tracking bird flu conversations, bird flu has been mentioned in over three million posts globally, with 54 percent originating in the U.S. Weekly bird flu posts still exceed 100,000 but are down from their peak at around half a million per week in early June. (Read the first report that tracked narratives from February to May 2024 here.) The following is an overview of the misleading and false online narratives from the most highly engaged social media posts about bird flu between mid-May and mid-July 2024.

Trendline showing global mentions of bird flu between January and July 2024 across social media platforms (X), news channels, blogs, forums (Reddit), and video sources (Youtube). Due to platform and API limitations, this graph and total number of posts does not include Facebook and Instagram data.

Shortly after WHO released a report on June 5 about the fatal H5N2 case in Mexico, a Mexican health official denied that the virus caused the man’s death, prompting a spike in bird flu-related conversations. Although the official didn’t deny that the man had H5N2-related bird flu, which was confirmed through lab testing, he stated that the man died from other underlying health conditions. Vaccine opponents then accused WHO of lying to the public and downplaying the seriousness of bird flu. One post used the Mexican case to claim that FDA bird flu recommendations are unnecessary despite the fact that the U.S. outbreak is linked to H5N1, a different bird flu strain than the case in Mexico.

Claims that the government is fearmongering to sell vaccines

One of the most persistent claims about bird flu is that the government is exaggerating the risk of the virus in order to cause panic and promote new vaccines. On June 5, a U.S. congressman criticized strategies to monitor bird flu circulation by recycling COVID-19 myths about asymptomatic transmission and gain-of-function research, a type of scientific research that involves genetically modifying organisms to enhance certain biological functions. The claim was viewed over one million times and garnered more than 49,000 engagements.  

On July 2, the U.S. government announced a contract with Moderna to develop an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine, sparking fears and speculation about the potential vaccines and mass vaccination efforts. One video about new bird flu vaccines that promotes several conspiracy theories received over a million views and 18,000 engagements.

Distrust in existing vaccines

Existing bird flu vaccines have also been the target of false claims and preemptive distrust. Several popular posts misleadingly claimed that one in 200 people died in the trial for Audenz, a vaccine approved for those at high risk of bird flu exposure. The claim omits key context about clinical trial data that shows that none of the deaths were linked to the vaccines and that serious adverse events were actually more common in the placebo group. The top post promoting the false claim has over 37,000 engagements and one million views as of mid-July.

On June 25, Finland announced it would begin offering bird flu vaccinations to high-risk workers, raising concern that other countries may follow suit. Some popular posts questioned why vaccines are being rolled out before infections are widespread, while others criticized the U.S. for not rolling out vaccines sooner. One post claimed that Finland’s rollout is part of a larger United Nations agenda.

Food supply concerns and opposition to raw milk regulation

Unpasteurized milk became a flashpoint in conversations about the outbreak in April, and false narratives about raw milk reached a peak in May before continuing into June and July at a reduced rate. Some social media users criticized the FDA for warning against the consumption of raw milk, claiming the government has “zero credibility.” Others reportedly sought out H5N1-infected raw milk under the false assumption that it will give them immunity to the disease.”

Raw milk enthusiasts have dismissed safety warnings about raw milk as “fearmongering” and argue that the antibodies in raw milk from cows infected with bird flu will protect humans. There is no scientific evidence to support this claim.

Since peaking in May, conversations about raw milk have shifted to fears about meat and egg products and the broader food supply. In the last month, over 81,000 posts have referenced the general food supply in relation to bird flu. Some conspiracy theories claim without evidence that the culling of infected bird populations is an attempt to reduce food production, tamper with the food supply, and “manufacture famine.”

Claims that bird flu outbreaks are a “plandemic”

Reminiscent of COVID-19 myths, some social media users believe that bird flu outbreaks are part of a planned pandemic, or “plandemic.” Over 40,000 posts in the last month claim that the global bird flu outbreak that began in 2022 is a plot to rig the U.S. presidential election in 2024.  Posts use routine outbreak responses, such as monitoring individuals who were potentially exposed to bird flu, to speculate that the bird flu outbreaks were planned to influence politics. In a post from June 29 with over 130,000 likes, Donald Trump Jr. called bird flu an intentional plan to drive up mail-in ballots. Other posts dismiss any potential protective measures for bird flu as fearmongering to interfere with the election, with one post referring to bird flu as an “election infection.”

Another popular conspiracy theory is that bird flu is “Disease X,” a term to describe an unknown pathogen capable of causing a future pandemic. One popular post with over one million views and 25,000 engagements said that as “Disease X,” bird flu was designed to cause fear and “create food insecurity.” Another post baselessly claims that the currently circulating bird flu virus was created by gain-of-function research. The claims echo earlier COVID-19-related conspiracy theories that Disease X is part of a global plot to use a manufactured disease to control or reduce populations using forced vaccinations.

In other examples, a viral post with over two million views and 56,000 engagements falsely claimed that the U.S. planned to intentionally release bird flu on the general public and blame it on Russia, while another with over 4 million views states that the so-called “release” was meant to disrupt the election and claim emergency presidential powers.

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