World Health Organization

Does a viral video offer evidence that children's faces are being "harvested" in China or anywhere in the world to be transplanted onto female recipients trying to look younger? No, that's not true: Both Mandarin subtitles and original voice-overs in the video discussed facelifts -- a much more common surgical procedure that doesn't require any other person's face. Face transplants…

Does taking a shower prevent the skin from absorbing vitamin D from sunlight? No, that's not true: Medical experts confirmed to Lead Stories that vitamin D is made in living cells in the skin and thus cannot be washed off. The person giving this advice is Barbara O'Neill, a controversial naturopath who was banned from practice in Australia. The claim…

Did the ABC television network fire the hosts of the September 10, 2024, U.S. presidential debate, calling them "a disgrace"? No, that's not true: A self-described satire and parody website published the story about the pair's supposed firing. Lead Stories found nothing authoritative to substantiate the claim that ABC fired the two. The claim originated from an article (archived here)…

Is the mpox vaccine loaded with HIV, as a video shared by The People's Voice claims? No, that's not true: The People's Voice is a website with a long history of publishing made-up news, and it provided no sources -- aside from a supposed whistleblower -- to back up the claims made in the video. The ingredient list and package…

Is the monkeypox virus known to spread through airborne transmission, as suggested by a post on Instagram Threads? No, that's not true: Global health agencies agree that the primary way the virus is spread is through close or direct contact between an uninfected and infected person's body fluids, lesions or saliva, plus contaminated clothing or bedding. The U.S. Department of…

Does a 2017 paper on resveratrol suggest it could be used to stop or treat monkeypox as part of the public health emergency declared in August 2024? No, that's not true: An author of the paper told Lead Stories that resveratrol was never tested on humans or animals in their research, and it's "unclear if it suppresses poxvirus replication." An…

Did the World Health Organization order governments to "Prepare for 'Mega Lockdowns' Due to 'Deadly Monkeypox' Strain"? No, that's not true: WHO responded to a Lead Stories inquiry about the report of orders for lockdown preparation with "It is false." Preparations for or even the suggestion of major lockdowns because of the monkeypox virus would be major news worldwide, yet…

Did Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sign a bill "allowing gender reassignment surgery for children"? No, that's not true: No state law sets a specific minimum age for gender-affirming surgical interventions, a Minnesota lawmaker told Lead Stories. Major health care providers do not operate on people under 18. One bill signed into law protects youth access to those services discussed in…

Does a video on Instagram show helicopters in El Salvador spraying communities with something harmful to humans in the guise of treating for mosquitoes? No, that's not true: El Salvador's National Defense Ministry said the clip shows the Salvadoran Air Force carrying out fumigation for mosquito control. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says aerial spraying does "not pose…

Did the World Health Organization (WHO) call for military forces to "round up mRNA vaccine refusers during the bird flu pandemic," as an August 2024 article claimed? No, that's not true: In an emailed statement to Lead Stories, WHO said that the article making the claim presents "flagrantly false information" since WHO has no power to mobilize military troops. The…