CNN Did Not Report That the Ukraine War Is Causing Myocarditis
The Claim
According to CNN, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing myocarditis.
News posted on
Emerging story
Social media users are circulating a claim that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing heart inflammation. Some users shared a screenshot from CNN with a breaking chyron reporting the allegation with the circulating claim.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar found that the circulating claim is satire. The Babylon Bee, a satirical website published the story on March 7, 2022. The website published a story about CNN host Anderson Cooper linking myocarditis cases to the Russia-Ukraine war. According to the article, another CNN host, Don Lemon, hinted at an alarming link between myocarditis and high gas prices.
The photo of Cooper that has been circulating in the story appears to be from a CNN broadcast from 2016.
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis is inflammation of the heart's outer lining, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC identified myocarditis as a possible rare side effect of RNA vaccines. According to the CDC, 0.48 out of 100,000 people developed myocarditis after receiving coronavirus vaccination, and the incidence was 1.2 per 100,000 people aged 18-29. Notably, the majority of cases are mild and require only minor treatment. According to the CDC, given the rarity of these cases, the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
