The online groups who believe germs don't exist - BBC World Service, BBC Trending Extreme podcast

Conspiracy theories about viruses and vaccines have exploded in recent years. At the same time, something arguably stranger has spiralled… groups online who don’t believe germs which cause disease exist at all.

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They believe that there’s no such thing as viruses and that all diseases are caused by living an unhealthy life, particularly our diet and environmental toxins. It goes hand in hand with a rejection of vaccines and other forms of conventional medicine.

The BBC's health and disinformation reporter Rachel Schraer investigates how germ denial has grown and spread on social media. In South Africa, a small group of germ deniers, influenced by American conspiracy theorists, is awaking painful memories.

00:00 Intro
01:33 @DebunktheFunkwithDrWilson on germ theory
03:36 What do germ theory denial groups believe?
05:09 Meet Veronica, a germ theory denier
05:50 What is terrain theory?
07:27 What one germ theory denier believes
09:12 What do germ theory deniers and anti-vaxxers have in common?
10:01 How the Covid pandemic influenced views
12:59 The darker threat of germ denial

Watch more episodes of our podcast series Extreme here. BBC Trending explores the ways social media is shaping behaviour and beliefs on the fringes of the internet - and in some cases, making it into the mainstream 👉🏽 https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/P...

Presenter and producer: Rachel Schraer
Editor: Flora Carmichael
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