Anti-Vax Watch is an alliance of concerned individuals who are seeking to educate the American public about the dangers of the anti-vax industry.

As the anti-vaccine industry actively seeks to undermine the rollout of the COVID vaccine – capitalizing on a heightened sense of hesitancy from the public and targeting communities of color who have already been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic – we recognize that this is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We believe we must join together to bring science and facts to the forefront and alert the public to the dangerous agenda of anti-vaccine leaders.

Our efforts center around bringing to light the nefarious activities of the anti-vaccine industry and working with leading experts to dispute their falsehoods and non-medical disinformation with science, research and expert analysis. Our goal is to support the efforts of leading health experts, pro-vaccine researchers and educators, civil rights and business organizations, and others who, like us, recognize the importance of raising awareness of the science of vaccines.

What They Are Saying

Letter to Mark Zuckerberg from House Committee on Energy and Commerce
House Committee on Energy and Commerce
February 2, 2021

“As the country enters this next phase in its fight against the virus—the success of which is dependent on hundreds of millions of Americans trusting the science behind these vaccines—the [U.S. House Energy and Commerce] Committee is deeply troubled by news reports of coronavirus vaccine misinformation on [Facebook]. In fact, the proliferation of false and misleading information on platforms is so widespread that the American Medical Association wrote to your company last month urging you to “guard against disinformation.”

Anti-Vaccination Movement Sees COVID-19 As An Opportunity, Taking Efforts Online
Imran Ahmed
The Hill
December 22, 2020

“Currently, anti-vaxxers are permitted to organize, recruit, and spread outright lies online, which threatens human life to millions of people. While the successful development of Covid vaccines was a cause for optimism for our ability to overcome coronavirus, that great work could be undone by this malignant anti-vaxx industry of propagandists.”

Opinion: Social Media Platforms Should Deny Service To Superspreaders Of Disinformation
Imran Ahmed
Washington Post
January 15, 2021

“Social media platforms have the responsibility to do more to stop the spread of anti-vaxxers’ malicious agenda by denying services to the superspreaders of disinformation. The majority of the online following for anti-vaxxers, 59 million large, follows accounts run by just 10 individuals. Remove these professional propagandists, and far fewer members of the public will be exposed to life-threatening lies.”

The Trump Administration Bailed Out Prominent Anti-Vaccine Groups During A Pandemic
Erica Dewald
Washington Post
January 18, 2021

“These organizations have been sowing the seeds of doubt about vaccines and public health for years. Now, in the middle of a pandemic, they are accepting funds for the chaos they’ve helped to create.”

Anti-Vaxxers Think This Is Their Moment
Renee Diresta
The Atlantic
December 20, 2020

“Society’s ability to return to a semblance of normalcy depends on how effectively public-health authorities counter this misinformation and how assiduously media outlets and internet platforms refrain from amplifying it—but also on whether average Americans recognize that the material they click on and share has real-world consequences.”

Anti-Vaxxers Think This Is Their Moment
Renee Diresta
The Atlantic
December 20, 2020

“Anti-vaccine activism around COVID-19 is more than just misinformation. This word doesn’t adequately convey the deliberateness of the messaging strategies that movement leaders consciously began to adopt in January 2020. The leaders of the anti-vaccine movement are not accidentally spreading this material. It’s intentional.”

Anti-Vaxxers Misuse Federal Data To Falsely Claim COVID Vaccines Are Dangerous
Dorit Reiss
Vice
February 3, 2021

“But I’m still concerned. Right now, people are vulnerable and looking for information. I’m worried this could be a gateway, and that people nervous about the COVID vaccine could be pulled into the anti-vax world for other vaccines as well.”

Anti-Vaxxers Won’t Stop Harassing Nurse They’re Convinced Is Dead
Dorit Reiss
Daily Beast
February 1, 2021

“COVID has been a national trauma. More people are vulnerable, more people are looking for answers, more people are mistrustful of public health officials … and that makes more people vulnerable to conspiracy theories. Anyone can get trapped in an alternative reality conspiracy theory if they fall in the wrong moment.”