As scientists work tirelessly to develop a vaccine that keeps the deadly coronavirus at bay, the views of anti-vaxxers are running rampant online and influencing communities undecided about the treatment.
Researchers analyzed over 1,300 Facebook pages with 100 million followers to develop a 'battleground' map that shows how distrust in medical guidance is spreading on the web.
While vaccine supporters outnumber anti-vaxxer pages on Facebook, the opposing group has nearly three time as many communities – making it easier for their views to reach the undecided.
In addition, the anti-vaccine groups offer more diverse narratives around vaccines and other health treatments that tend to be more appealing, including conspiracy theories and safety concerns.