A Critical Analysis of Black Immunity Myths and Their Deadly Consequences

Myths about Black immunity are linked to the misconception that Black people are “super-humans” who have enhanced immunity and pain tolerance compared to other races. The fallacies about Black resistance to viruses were previously evident during the yellow fever pandemic, where misinformation was spread about their presupposed immunity to the deadly disease. Despite advancements in health communication, during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports stated that “Black skin” and “Black blood” had innate immunity to the virus spread on social media. The myth, coupled with other factors, resulted in Black Americans disproportionately dying from the disease and further vaccine apprehension. Analyzing the systems that have created and perpetuated health disparities, this study explores the consequences of race-based health myths due to racist Western medical practices. After examining the early articles perpetuating the Black immunity myth to COVID-19, this study proposes a social media surveillance system guided by critical health literacy to flag health-related misinformation during health crises.