Infodemics and misinformation negatively affect people’s health behaviours, new WHO review finds

This article originally appeared on the World Health Organization website. Below is an excerpt.
Incorrect interpretations of health information, which increase during outbreaks and disasters, often negatively impact people’s mental health and increase vaccine hesitancy, and can delay the provision of health care, a new WHO review shows.
The authors conclude that the effects of infodemics and health misinformation online can be countered by “developing legal policies, creating and promoting awareness campaigns, improving health-related content in mass media and increasing people’s digital and health literacy”.
The systematic review of published studies found 31 reviews that analysed fake news, misinformation, disinformation and infodemics related to health. Misinformation was defined as false or inaccurate information deliberately intended to deceive, while disinformation also included misleading or biased information, manipulated narratives or facts, and propaganda.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

In Memoriam: Remembering Annette Ozaltin, Former Network Director of Linked

It is with a heavy heart that we share the unexpected and profoundly sad news that the Linked community has lost our dear friend, colleague, and former Network Director, Annette Ozaltin. Annette rejoined Results for Development in 2021 to lead Linked in its evolution to support middle-income countries under the Gavi 5.0 strategy. Annette brought … Read More

Linked Community News October 2023

This edition of the newsletter is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. The Linked community has been building on their immunisation learning journeys over the last couple of months with exchanges focused on health worker capacity and performance management. Linked recently facilitated a learning circle as a follow-on to earlier virtual and in-person exchanges, … Read More

New study reports cost to deliver COVID-19 vaccines in Côte d’Ivoire and Vietnam

The delivery of COVID-19 (C19) vaccines posed unprecedented challenges in terms of delivery volume and new target populations. Meanwhile, what it costs to deliver these vaccines remains highly uncertain. To support governments in planning and budgeting for the C19 vaccination programs, ThinkWell, partnering with Genesis Analytics and the Hanoi University of Public Health, conducted retrospective, … Read More