Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [public-health]

Use this tag for questions about the health of people on a community or population level. Do not use this tag for questions about the health of individuals or biological mechanisms.

Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. Overall, public health is concerned with protecting populations. These populations can be small, for example, a local neighborhood, or large, for example a country or region of the world.

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Are these claims about Japan’s health system true?

The series of claims in the image below has been getting shared around Facebook and are posted from the "Illuminati Exposed" page. The claims are in the image but I've listed them here 100% of Japanese people have health coverage, regardless of…
user1605665
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Do facemasks cause CO2 poisoning?

I came across this video on BitChute purporting to test the CO2 levels of what appears to be a KN95 (a Non-NIOSH Approved Respirator) whilst the mask is in use. The video shows a device displaying CO2 levels rising, next to an image depicting…
SE Does Not Like Dissent
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Does the US spend more public money (i.e. tax/capita) on Health Care than other developed countries?

The author John Green on a YouTube post Why are American Health Care costs so high? makes the (referenced) claim that US public health expenditure per capita, is higher than most other developed countries - even where those countries then provide…
Gazzer
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Was a four year-old forced to sleep on the floor of Leeds General Infirmary?

I'm referring to this article, where a four year old with suspected pneumonia was, due to overcrowding after the NHS cuts, forced to sleep on the floor of the hospital. Numerous Twitter accounts, all of which claim to have a sister there, claim this…
Comic Sans Strikephim
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Does Lincoln County, Oregon require only white people to wear masks?

According to the New York Post: Oregon county issues face mask order that exempts non-white people Lincoln County, Oregon, has exempted non-white people from a new order requiring that face coverings be worn in public Oregon county issues face mask…
Paul Draper
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Do ibuprofen or paracetamol cause hearing loss?

This 2016 Express article gives a rather disturbing warning that two common pain killers might cause the risk of hearing loss. PARACETAMOL or ibuprofen could cause long-term deafness, experts have revealed. Scientists have revealed the effects…
Oddthinking
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Is austerity in the UK responsible for "120,000" extra deaths?

The UK government has been implementing tight constraints on public spending to attempt to recover from the 2008 financial crash and bailout. But this austerity is controversial. A recent report in The Independent claims the following (I've bolded…
matt_black
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Are electronic cigarettes a healthier alternative to regular cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes pose as a replacement of cigarettes. It is claimed that they help in quitting smoking. They do come in flavors, and in various levels of nicotine. But, are they less harmful? Do they have any side effects? For example, Health…
Micangello
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Did the Trump administration propose new cuts to the health budget in February 2020?

As quoted in an interview: Chomsky described the Trump administration’s approach to the problem as “surreal.” “So in February, the pandemic is already raging. Everyone outside the United States recognizes it … Right in the middle of February, Trump…
Fizz
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Has the time available to escape a house fire decreased significantly due to "modern furniture"?

The Facebook page QI - Quite Interesting has approximately 390 thousand followers. It posted a claim in December 2022 about the time available to escape a house on fire. It claims a dramatic decrease due to the "flammability of modern furniture" but…
Nij
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Do mosquitoes urinate on you when they bite you?

This is a claim that I have seen on several "Did You Know?" lists so far. They all state that when a mosquito bites you, they also urinate on you at the same time and that is what causes the area around the bite to swell, rather than the actual bite…
geoff
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Did Henry Kissinger say this about forced vaccinations?

I found a quote online in the form of a photo from what looks like some newspaper: The photo contains an alleged quote from Henry Kissinger's speech to the WHO Council on Eugenics on February 25, 2009, and it reads: Once the herd accepts mandatory…
csstudent1418
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Did the WHO have evidence of significant human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 prior to January 14, 2020?

On January 5th 2020, the World Health Organisation published a "Disease Outbreak News" article about a disease that was later to be called COVID-19. It states: Based on the preliminary information from the Chinese investigation team, no evidence…
einpoklum
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Do hand dryers in public bathrooms spread bacteria?

A hand drier is a warm and humid environment that is surrounded by bacteria from all the bathroom users. It is claimed that this is one of the main causes for spreading bacteria/microbes (NCBI ref) Is this claim truly accurate, and should hot air…
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Does staying indoors protect you from wildfire smoke?

I’m in New York right now and I’m seeing a lot of news / government warnings to stay indoors due to the wildfire smoke. For example: Stay indoors, mask up: Staying safe as ‘hazardous' smoke levels choke NYC area I don’t have an air purifier in my…
Elliot Gorokhovsky
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