How to Protect Yourself in an Infodemic

  

The World Health Organization (WHO)  on How to Protect Yourself in an Infodemic (2 min.)

Sharing unverified information during the COVID-19 pandemic can be dangerous, unhealthy, and make our life more confusing. UNESCO and the World Health Organization are calling out this Infodemic and calling on you to be on the frontline for truth. It’s easy. Watch the video for the simple actions we can all take on how to identify false information, verify trusted sources, and help ourselves and loved ones to stay safe. WHO recommends:

1) Look for facts and evidence

2) Choose carefully

3) Be cautious

4) Be a good example

5) Spend less time online

Want to know more?

Try this article from the NEJM

The Covid-19 Infodemic - Applying the Epidemiologic Model to Counter Misinformation.

Scales D, Gorman J, Jamieson KH.N Engl J Med. 2021 Aug 19;385(8):678-681. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2103798. Epub 2021 May 12.PMID: 33979506.  Read the full article.

• Did you know there were infodemiologists hard at work combatting misinformation in all it's forms?
• Studies show that misinformation that isn't immediately counteracted can be committed to long-term memory. (p.679)   Misinformation lingers in Memory (2017).
• Drawing on intelligence gathered from surveillance and identification systems, indodemiologists can inoculate people against deceptions. (p.680)
• When appropriate, infodemiologists leverage Covid-19 fact-based resources, including
• SciCheck's Covid-19 vaccination page
• PolitiFact
• Dear Pandemic
• and the International Fact-Checking Network
• as well as Q&A pages from reputable medical sources such as CDC, FDA and Mayo Clinic. (p.679)