Health
Vaccines do not cause autism, despite reported rises
A social media post seems to imply that increasing vaccine doses have caused increases in autism cases, but that’s not true. Read
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Health
Get clear and trusted health facts. We explain symptoms, treatments, and health advice in simple language you can understand.
Health
Fake AI doctors endorse weight loss patches on social media
Posts claiming to show clinicians from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust using and endorsing weight loss patches are fake and were made with AI. Read
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Health
Government research doesn’t prove screen time ‘damages’ toddlers’ speech
A study found a correlation between very high screen time and lower vocabulary in two-year-olds, but it didn’t say that one caused the other. Read
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Health
Inaccurate poster warning about 5G health risks circulates again
There is no evidence that 5G technology poses a health risk at the recommended international exposure limits. Read
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Health
Myth that coughing hard can help during a heart attack recirculates online
There’s no medical evidence that coughing can help during a suspected heart attack, and many credible organisations have warned against it. Read
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Health
Ads for plain porridge oats have not been banned
News reports this week claimed that ads for porridge will be restricted by new legislation—but the ban only affects porridge products that score highly in a “less healthy” test. Read
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Politics
Five lessons from our fact checking in 2025
What changes have our fact checkers on the frontline of the fight against misinformation seen over the past 12 months—and what might that mean for 2026? Read
Comment
Health
Over-60s won’t be charged £5 for a GP appointment
A series of fake videos falsely claiming the NHS is “no longer free for over-60s” almost certainly uses AI audio of the PM. Read
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Health
Resident doctors’ 29% pay rise was over a three-year period
Labour MP Oliver Ryan and some on social media have said resident doctors got a 29% rise “last year”, but the increase was actually over multiple years. Read
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Health
Have resident doctors really had a 21% real-terms pay cut?
The figure cited by the BMA is based on an unreliable measure of inflation. Other measures suggest the drop has been less. Our analysis using a measure backed by the Royal Statistical Society puts the fall since 2008/9 at more like 6-7%. Read
Fact checks