Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/cervical-cancer-29-q5-what-sources-info...
Dear Cherian,
Thank you for your observations from India.
"In India, people draw health information from a wide range of sources. Newspapers and magazines continue to play a major role, with articles written either by doctors or by reporters who compile information from various places. At the same time, social media has penetrated deeply into communities. This has created a new challenge: information spreads rapidly, but so does misinformation."
Yes, 20 years ago when HIFA was launched, many believed that the internet would enable universal access to reliable healthcare information. Twenty years later and we find that misinformation spreads ever faster thanks to the internet and social media.
Also, as you say, many people do not have regular access to the internet and rely on mainstream media: newspapers, television, radio.
A question to you and others: To what extent are the mainstream media responsible for misinformation?
For example, we have heard from Diya (India) about the false belief that HPV vaccination causes infertility. Is this misinformation coming from (or being amplified by) mainstream media or other sources?
In the later part of your message youu say: "A more realistic and effective approach is for Ministries of Health to maintain a strong, active presence across print media, electronic platforms, and social media spaces. They should consistently share science-based, evidence-driven, and context-appropriate messages on cervical cancer screening and related topics. Truthful, timely, and audience-specific communication is one of the strongest counter-strategies we have against misinformation. When credible information is available, accessible, and repeated across trusted channels, communities are better equipped to make informed decisions."
This aligns with what many of us have been saying on HIFA. The surest way to address misinformation is arguably not to keep fighting it, but to make progressive in a positive direction: to accelerate the availability and use of reliable healthcare information. This in turn needs a holistic, whole-systems approach as described on the HIFA website: www.hifa.org/ecosystem
Best wishes, Neil
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