Doctors: the infodemic is more dangerous than the pandemic

“As doctors, nurses, and health experts around the world, we have a duty to warn that, in addition to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are currently facing a global infodemic by spreading misinformation on social media that threatens human life. ” This is stated in a statement by the international civil society organization Avaaz (which means voice in different languages), established in 2007 on issues such as global warming and climate change, human rights, animal rights, corruption , poverty and conflict around the world. .

As an example of an infodemic, the organization cites “anonymous stories claiming that cocaine may be a cure for the virus, or that Covid-19 was developed as a biological weapon by China or the United States.” However, they have spread online faster than the virus itself, although most companies that own social media and platforms are now removing fake news content and allowing the World Health Organization to run free advertising.

But the false and misleading tsunami for the coronavirus is not an isolated source of misinformation, but part of a global plague. On Facebook, we saw claims that chlorine dioxide helps people with autism and cancer; that millions of Americans are “infected” with cancer viruses through the polio vaccine, and that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children is derived from a vaccine and is a deliberate product of “big pharmaceutical companies. The list of conspiracy theories is long, “the organization wrote.

She points out that promoting fake news through sharing, for example, that vaccines are not effective against disease or serious intimidation of people, is of utmost importance. As an example, a post about the fact that ginger is 10,000 times more effective in treating cancer than chemotherapy has received, liked, and commented on over 30,000 times.

Avaaz calls on owners of Internet-based media and social media to take immediate action to stop the flow of misinformation in healthcare to address the public health crisis it has caused.

“Because we are the ones who work in public health hospitals around the world, we are very familiar with the real effects of this infodemic. We are the ones who treat young children hospitalized with measles, a once extinct disease that is now spreading. it is spreading faster and faster thanks to anti-wax propaganda, “the statement said.

According to the organization, social platforms should begin to pay special attention to posts with erroneous information about people’s health and warn everyone who has seen this content. Thus, all victims of fake news will be able to bookmark, but also download fake posts.

“Platforms need to review algorithms that decide what people see and what posts and ads are passed on to them. That means fake posts and fake news rather than posting more in groups, showing significantly less. And fake channels.” Posts that continue to mislead their users should be removed entirely from algorithms that recommend content. These algorithms now prioritize keeping consumers online rather than protecting their health and ultimately malyava the well-being of humanity, “more from Avaaz.