No, Switzerland hasn't banned mammograms

Confusion is spreading online thanks to bizarre rumours about a supposed ban on mammograms in Switzerland.

Social media users have been claiming for months that the country decided to outlaw the procedure due to concerns over its safety, one of the most frequent claims being that mammograms cause breast cancer because of the patient's exposure to radiation during the screening process.

In addition, many of the social media posts insist that 50% to 60% of mammogram results give false positives, leading to unnecessary anxiety and treatment.

These claims are all false.

EuroVerify reached out to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, which confirmed that there is no ban on mammograms in Switzerland.

"Screening programs are set up by the cantons," a spokesperson for the office said in an emailed statement. "Mammograms are recommended from the age of 50 onward."

Other fact-checkers from other news organisations also debunked the claims when they emerged on social media in previous months.  

One of the main misleading claims on social media is that the radiation present in mammography significantly increases the risk of cancer in women. 

However, according to experts that EuroVerify spoke to, this isn't the case.

Dr Evandro de Azambuja, head of the Medical Support Team at the Jules Bordet Institute in Anderlecht, explained that mammograms do not in fact involve much radiation. 

"If they follow the strict protocols that are recommended by [...] agencies, the dose is low," he said. "So there is no risk that you're going to develop cancer because of the irradiation of the mammography."

While some studies show that very frequent testing may slightly increase the risk of cancer, routine screening should not pose a problem.

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