Combating false information on vaccines: A guide for risk communication and community engagement teams

Abstract

False information about vaccines and vaccination – whether it is spread intentionally (known as disinformation) or not (known as misinformation) – poses a serious threat to public health in the Americas. Multiple studies have shown that exposure to vaccine-related misinformation can shake population trust in the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and negatively impact individuals’ attitudes and intentions toward vaccination, even among individuals who have previously been vaccinated. Unsurprisingly, misinformation that implies vaccination causes harm and that sounds scientifically credible has shown to be more likely to deter individuals from intending to get vaccinated.

Fighting back against science deniers and their misinformation is a critical part of maintaining trust in immunization and protecting populations from a variety of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Critical in this fight are understanding how and why misinformation spreads; which approaches can be employed to combat it, both before and after people have been exposed; and rebuilding trust in immunization after it has been shaken.

Ministry of Health risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) teams face a daunting task in staying abreast of misinformation, so they are able to monitor it and take decisive action to combat it when needed. By collaborating at the national, district, and local levels with a variety of partners – including health workers (HW), who have been repeatedly shown to be the most trusted source of information on vaccines and vaccination – RCCE teams can use several different approaches to equip their audiences with the tools and knowledge to resist misinformation.