VERA Files
Our coverage of health issues and health misconceptions and disinformation, including fact checks, fact sheets, multimedia stories, and in-depth reports.
The health topics covered in this microsite are those that have gained the most prominence among Filipinos based on VERA Files’ coverage. These include cancer and other non-communicable diseases, maternal and reproductive health, food and nutrition, traditional medicine, vaccines, COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, and mental health.
In a video posted online, a Filipino doctor endorsing a mineral drops product claimed that pork fat intake does not cause hypertension or high blood pressure. This needs context. YouTube […]
A Facebook (FB) page is circulating a fraudulent advertisement about a milk product that allegedly treats gout within a week and reduces uric acid levels after using it for a […]
Another Facebook (FB) page has illicitly used the face of Web-popular cardiologist Doc Willie Ong, this time, to promote a supplement supposedly effective against diabetes. On Oct. 20, the page […]
Two Facebook (FB) pages uploaded a doctored news report on an intellectually-gifted young boy and created the post as if it were an advertisement for a children’s multivitamin called Bearbites. […]
Another supplement, this time for the liver, posted on two Facebook (FB) pages, is making two claims: first, that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it; and second, […]
Three similar Facebook (FB) pages published a video promoting a supplement it claims was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for joint-related ailments. It is a false claim. […]
A Facebook (FB) page claims that a local grass, commonly known as paragis (scientific name Eleusine indica), can treat a myriad of diseases, including cancer, cysts, and irregular menstruation. This […]
A Facebook (FB) page has again used the name and face of cardiologist and social media personality Dr. Willie Ong, this time, to promote a hemorrhoid cream. It is bogus […]
Despite the loud applause on his call for a “stronger healthcare system” during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. remained silent on […]
The World Health Organization, in a 1996 study on dengue, said, “The exact date when dengue fever was first recognized in the world is still obscure.” Experts also note that the origin of the dengue virus is not yet clear because of its shared clinical symptoms with other mosquito-borne viral illnesses.