Below are extracts from a WHO report, published October 2021. Read online: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240035966
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Ultimately, effective infodemic management can protect the health of people and their communities by providing the right information at the right time and in the right format, so that they can make informed decisions and take appropriate actions during epidemics and pandemics. It also protects social cohesiveness by mitigating the social divides arising from conflicting information...
Living in the age of information is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, people are tethered to their digital devices and can access updates on the virus 24 hours a day. On the other hand, this can be overwhelming, and makes the world critically vulnerable to damage from the influx of toxic disinformation, innocent misinformation and outdated versions of the truth...
The brute force of the COVID-19 infodemic cannot be ignored. In tandem with the virus, it has the power to harm anyone in its way, especially those who are strapped for resources. Or those who lack basic health, digital and media literacy. Or those who are oppressed by injustice and inequity...
The next four sections will provide context to the infodemic management activities that WHO established throughout 2020, which are being further optimized and scaled up for future application during health emergencies:
• Listen to concerns • Communicate risk and distil science • Promote resilience to misinformation • Engage and empower communities
Communicating the latest science in a concise and understandable way is one of several COVID-19 response interventions to ensure that people have the right information at the right time in the right format. WHO accomplishes this with weekly COVID-19 updates that are shared with WHO country representatives and other internal and external stakeholders who use them for meetings with government officials, partners, communities and the general public...
Throughout the summer of 2020, WHO’s popular 30-second animation on “The evolution of science and our role in preventing the spread of COVID-19” was aired by four TV channels as a pro bono public service announcement..
Being resilient to misinformation requires an understanding of how information flows, including the motivations behind its spread and impact on behaviours...
Infodemic management aims to ensure that people have the right information at the right time in the right format, so that they are informed and empowered to adopt behavioural practices during epidemics to protect their health, that of their loved ones and their communities...
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COMMENT (NPW): HIFA stands ready to deepen and strengthen our ongoing collaboration with the World Health Organization in 2022 to help ensure that every person has access to the reliable healthcare inforamtion they need to protect their own health and the health of others, and where every person is protected from misinformation. I look forward to your comments on the above report, and how HIFA can contribute.
Neil Pakenham-Walsh, HIFA Coordinator, neil@hifa.org www.hifa.org
