Analysis
The COVID-era myth that mRNA vaccines “integrate into your DNA” has migrated into polio discussions. Posts from mid-September cite pseudo-scientific preprints, oncology abstracts, and gene-editing jargon to argue that polio vaccines “rewrite the human genome.” Influencer accounts on Bluesky published long, intimidating threads, which were quickly paraphrased into simpler claims on X: “the polio jab alters your genes.” YouTube videos then visualized this with stock DNA animations, lending a sense of authority. What began as technical fear-mongering became viral through simplification—complex integration talk turned into soundbites about gene-editing. The narrative exploits the fact that scientific language sounds intimidating, and transfers fear from COVID vaccine debates into the polio space.
Recommendations
This needs clear and jargon-free rebuttals. Molecular biologists and science journalists are the best voices, alongside pediatric neurologists who can bridge science and parental concern. The response should focus on demystifying RNA and DNA: short whiteboard videos with a simple analogy (“DNA is the book, RNA is the photocopy”), carousels with three key points (where the claim came from, what the research actually shows, what it does not mean for polio vaccines), and Twitter threads in “Explain Like I’m 12” style. Immediate action is to deploy these explainers within hours of spikes, so misleading gene-editing claims are countered.