... and ignore the nonsensical viral online claims

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** Get the Facts on RSV Among Children
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The purveyors of anti-vaccine disinformation blame the COVID-19 vaccines for every possible health ailment -- regardless of the facts.

The latest nonsensical claim circulating online suggests that the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine is to blame for the unusually high number of respiratory syncytial virus infections among children.

But Staff Writer Catalina Jaramillo writes that the spike is most likely caused by an immunity gap created by the lack of exposure to RSV over the past couple of years.

“There was no typical winter surge in hospitalisations related to RSV among children in 2020,” a group of experts in infectious diseases from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and researchers from the ecology and evolutionary biology department at Princeton University wrote in a commentary published in the Lancet in July.

“As NPI measures were further relaxed, interseasonal RSV outbreaks began the following spring, with waves of disease affecting older than the typical median age for childhood RSV-associated respiratory infections,” they continued, referring to nonpharmaceutical interventions, or actions that people can take to prevent the spread of a virus, such as social distancing.

Consider, too, that COVID-19 vaccination remains low in the youngest children.

Less than 8% of children under 5 years old have received at least one dose, a coverage that “does not account for the surge in RSV cases seen nationally,” Kate Grusich, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Catalina in an email.

“In addition, children under six months of age, who have always been at the highest risk of RSV-associated severe disease and hospitalization, continue to have the highest rates of RSV hospitalization among all age groups (RSV-NET Interactive Dashboard | CDC) – and this group is not yet eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine,” Grusich wrote.

Simply put, “[t]here is no evidence indicating COVID-19 vaccination can cause infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV),” Grusich explained.

Each year, 58,000 to 80,000 children under 5 are hospitalized due to RSV infection, according to the CDC. This year, it is expected to be worse. “This is the worst RSV year we’ve ever seen in our hospital," Dr. Paul A. Offit, a vaccine expert and pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told Catalina.

For more about the RSV outbreak, read Catalina's story, "RSV Surge in Children Likely Caused by ‘Immunity Gap,’ Not COVID-19 Vaccine ([link removed]) ."
HOW WE KNOW
In writing about a bogus claim that the former CEO of a cryptocurrency exchange had conspired with Ukraine to launder U.S. financial aid to Democrats, Staff Writer Saranac Hale Spencer contacted the State Department, which provided her with a statement: “The direct budget support that the United States is providing to the Government of Ukraine is transmitted via a World Bank mechanism to Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance. There are agreements and monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure that U.S. funds are used for verified GOU expenses; the types of expenses for which U.S. funds can be used are specifically enumerated in those agreements.” Read more ([link removed]) .
FEATURED FACT
In former President Donald Trump's four years in office, the U.S. built 458 miles of “border wall system” along the southwest border, according to a Customs and Border Protection status report ([link removed]) issued on Jan. 22, 2021. But the construction included only 52 miles of new primary wall and 33 miles of secondary wall where no barriers had been before. The rest -- 373 miles -- was replacement barriers for primary or secondary fencing that was dilapidated or outdated. There are now about 706 miles of primary barriers along the border. Before Trump took office, there were 654 miles ([link removed]) of primary border fencing -- meaning he increased the length of the border fencing by 8%. Read more ([link removed]) .
WORTHY OF NOTE
FactCheck.org has received the 2022 Media Consumer Excellence Award ([link removed]) from the nonprofit group Consumer Action. We were recognized ([link removed]) for our “commitment to monitoring and reporting on the factual accuracy of what political figures say or espouse in TV ads, debates, speeches and other forms of media.”

Consumer Action, a consumer rights organization, bestows these awards annually to recognize "significant contributions to consumer protection," the group said ([link removed]) in an announcement about this year's winners.

We have long described FactCheck.org as "a nonpartisan, nonprofit 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics." So we do hope that our work serves consumers, or our readers, in helping them sort fact from fiction.

Managing Editor Lori Robertson accepted the award on behalf of the entire FactCheck.org staff at a reception in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 16. We were especially honored to have Glenn Kessler, who heads the Washington Post's Fact Checker project, present the award.
REPLY ALL

Reader: Sooo many stories that have been collaborated of voter fraud yet you still keep saying no voter fraud!!! Even had pictures telling voters the machines were down!!! So sad how much has George the nazi soras spent getting you all to keep backing his crap!!!!!

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: First of all, we have never said there is NO voter fraud. There are individuals who have committed voter fraud over the years, and we have written about some of them. The conservative Heritage Foundation has a voter fraud database ([link removed]) that we often cite – as I did in a story about a Republican TV ad ([link removed]) that falsely claimed “dead people always vote Democrat.”

What we have said is that voter fraud is rare. We’ve researched numerous claims of voter fraud ([link removed]) in the 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2022 elections, and found no evidence of widespread voter fraud. We are not alone in reviewing the facts and coming to this conclusion. As we wrote ([link removed]) , former Attorney General William Barr and others in the Justice Department under former President Trump have come to the same conclusion. In fact, ([link removed]) Barr told ([link removed]) the January 6th Committee: “My opinion then and my opinion now is that the [2020] election was not stolen by fraud. And I haven’t seen anything since the election that changes my mind on that, including the ‘2000 Mules’ movie.”

Secondly, there are problems with voting machines in some areas in just about every election. That isn’t proof of fraud, and in each case the election officials will investigate what happened. I can assure you we will report any proof of systemic, widespread fraud.

Finally, we have never received any funding from George Soros, who as we wrote ([link removed]) survived Nazi occupation in Hungary. He and his family were victims of the Nazis. Our funding sources are disclosed on our website ([link removed]) .


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Post Omits Paxlovid’s Ability to Protect Against Severe COVID-19, Death ([link removed]) ": Paxlovid, Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill, has been shown to prevent severe COVID-19 and death. An online post alleging the drug is a “fraud” and “should be taken off the market” neglects to mention this important information, and falsely says ivermectin is superior.
* "Bogus Theory Misinterprets FTX Support for Ukraine ([link removed]) ": The bankruptcy of FTX, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has sparked an unfounded claim that its former CEO had conspired with Ukraine and Democratic politicians to launder U.S. aid money. FTX helped make crypto donations available to Ukraine; it wasn’t taking any assets from Ukraine.
* "FDA Did Not Change Position on Ivermectin Use, Contrary to Online Claims ([link removed]) ": In response to a civil suit, lawyers for the Food and Drug Administration described the agency’s warnings about the unapproved use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 as “recommendations.” Although that description doesn’t reveal new information, some conservative outlets have falsely claimed it’s an “outrageous” revelation and a change in the FDA’s position.
* "Posts Misrepresent How Florida Arrived at Quick Election Results ([link removed]) ": Florida law allows election officials to start counting early in-person and mail-in ballots before Election Day. But social media posts falsely claim Florida counted all of its more than 7 million votes in five hours on Election Day and states that took longer committed “voter fraud.” Most states don’t allow vote counting to begin until Election Day or after polls close.
* "Inaccurate TV Graphic Sparks Erroneous Claims of Election Fraud in Pennsylvania ([link removed]) ": Social media posts falsely suggest there was fraud in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, citing a TV graphic that showed Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano with nearly 500,000 more votes than Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro, but Mastriano trailing 41.6% to 56.6%. The graphic showed inaccurate numbers that were quickly corrected on air.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "Aumento de virus respiratorio sincitial en niños probablemente causado por ‘brecha inmunitaria’, no por la vacuna contra el COVID-19 ([link removed]) ": Los hospitales en Estados Unidos han observado un fuerte aumento de infecciones por el virus respiratorio sincitial en niños. Los expertos dicen que lo más probable es que el aumento se deba a una brecha inmunitaria creada por la falta de exposición al virus en el último par de años. No hay pruebas de que las vacunas pediátricas contra el COVID-19 sean la causa, como falsamente afirman publicaciones virales.

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