Health experts are calling on Facebook to prevent the spread of misinformation in closed anti-vaccine groups on the site, reports The Guardian.
The anti-vaccine groups serve as hubs for inaccurate claims about vaccines or unproven alternative treatments, such as high doses of vitamin C. One Facebook group, "Stop Mandatory Vaccination," has more than 150,000 members.
Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, recently met with Facebook employees to share her concerns over the anti-vaccine pages.
"Facebook should prioritize dealing with the threat to human health when falsehoods and misinformation are shared," she told The Guardian. "This isn't just self-harm, it's community harm."
Facebook did not reply to The Guardian's request for comment on the anti-vaccine groups.