Russian Twitter trolls have tried to use the vaccine issue to create a rift in American society by posting about both the pros and purported cons of them in recent years, a new study found.
The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health and cited research that found Russian Twitter accounts labeled as trolls are "significantly more likely to tweet about vaccination than are average Twitter users."
Researchers at George Washington University led the study, with academics from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University chipping in as well.
"Russian trolls promoted discord," the study reads. "Accounts masquerading as legitimate users create false equivalency, eroding public consensus on vaccination."
NBC News analyzed tweets from known Russian trolls and identified more than 1,000 of them that were about vaccines. Past studies have found that vaccines could be a cause of autism, although no hard evidence of that has ever been put forth.
Here's a sampling of the tweets NBC uncovered:
"The Vaccine Hoax is Over — Secret Documents Reveal Shocking Truth."
"The production of a #vaccine is disgusting #VaccinateUS."
"#VaccinateUS #vaccines can cause mental disorders!"
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