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Doctors Spreading COVID-19 Misinformation Should Have Licenses Revoked, Medical Board Says

A doctor with a stethoscope. (Getty Images)
A doctor with a stethoscope. (Getty Images)

Correction: In the audio version of this story, we referred to Dr. Joseph Mercola as one of the founders of America’s Frontline Doctors. Dr. Mercola is not affiliated with that group. We regret the error.

It’s one thing when your barber or the guy at a hardware store announces that vaccines don’t work or that 5G causes COVID-19. But what if the person spreading misinformation about a deadly virus is a doctor?

It’s rare — but it’s happening. Among the most prolific spreaders are a group called America’s Frontline Doctors. The organization is small, but the audiences it attracts are outsized.

Now the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) is taking action with a recommendation that medical professionals who spread coronavirus misinformation have their medical licenses revoked or suspended.

Host Robin Young discusses the issue with Humayun Chaudhry, FSMB’s president, who says the consequences of spreading misinformation can be fatal.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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