Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/first-ever-hpv-vaccination-campaign-pak...
HIFA member Fatima Anwar noted: 'we live in a world where misinformation spreads faster than light, and people believe in the bogus concepts and show resistance when someone tries to educate or make them aware'.
A news item in this week's BMJ carries very high quality evidence that the HPV vaccine is safe and reduces risk of cervical cancer. How can such clear, high-quality evidence be made more available to girls and women in Pakistan and eslewhere, to counter misinformation on this issue?
HPV vaccine safe and reduces risk of cervical cancer, anti-misinformation review finds
BMJ 2025; 391 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r2479 (Published 24 November 2025)
Cite this as: BMJ 2025;391:r2479
'Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination reduces the incidence of cervical cancer by 80% in people vaccinated at or before the age of 16, according to two Cochrane reviews. The comprehensive systematic reviews also found vaccination was not associated with an increased risk of long term side effects or infertility...
'Researchers said they wanted to share high quality data to counter misinformation spread on social media, which has had a massive impact on vaccination rates...'
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org