An Unreleased Lyme Disease Vaccine Is Already Sparking False Conspiracy Theories

A conspiracy theory is circulating on social media that the government is distributing ticks to promote a new Lyme disease vaccine. The theory originated from a post by Sarah Outlaw, an Iowa woman, claiming farmers were finding boxes of ticks in their fields. However, fact-checking website Snopes found no evidence to support these claims, and numerous public health officials in Missouri were unable to corroborate seeing even one box of ticks. Pfizer and Valneva are developing a Lyme disease vaccine, which has shown 70 percent efficacy in reducing Lyme cases. The vaccine failed a late-stage clinical trial due to a decrease in Lyme cases during the study period, but the companies still hope to gain regulatory approval and release it in 2027. Influencers like David Avocado Wolfe have helped spread the conspiracy theory on Telegram and other platforms.