Combating false information on vaccines: Tips for content creators

Combating false information on vaccines: Tips for content creators

Cite

Combating false information on vaccines: Tips for content creators. (2025). [Publications]. PAHO. https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/67600

Files

PAHOCIM250012_eng.pdf (4.78 MB)

English; 18 pages

Date

2025-06-18

Document Number

PAHO/CIM/25-0012

Authors

Pan American Health Organization

Description

Have you seen or heard something about vaccines online that has made you do a double take? There is no shortage of vaccine misinformation out there, from wild conspiracy theories to small pieces of the truth that have been distorted or blown out of proportion. What is true though, is that the overwhelming majority of scientists and medical experts agree that vaccines are safe and effective, and that not being vaccinated puts you and your loved ones at risk of deadly diseases that could start to make an appearance again if not enough people are vaccinated. Because even a brief exposure to misinformation about vaccines can impact a person’s decision to get vaccinated, it is important that we all do our part to stop its spread. As an influencer on social media, you can learn tips and tricks on how to spot misinformation and share them with your followers. By doing so, you will be making the world a healthier and safer place – and who does not want that?

Pages

18 p.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

Vaccination Week in the Americas 2024: Engage now to protect your future #GetVax. Final report
(PAHO, 2025-02-11) Pan American Health Organization
Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) 2024 was celebrated across the Region of the Americas with a variety of initiatives aimed at increasing vaccination coverage, particularly in remote areas and among populations with limited access to health services. During VWA 2024, some 65 million vaccines were administered. Participation in VWA is flexible, allowing countries and territories to tailor their campaigns to local needs. In 2024, efforts focused on vaccinating health workers, pregnant individuals, children, youth and adolescents, older adults, and people with chronic conditions. Some countries and territories highlighted the political importance of vaccination, with high-level officials participating in their VWA events or multinational events held in border communities. Vaccines were administered against diseases like COVID-19, influenza, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, yellow fever, human papillomavirus, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, rotavirus, and other serious diseases that can cause significant harm or death for populations in the Region. Countries and territories utilized a variety of digital, print, and in-person platforms to sensitize their populations about the importance of vaccination at all stages of life, the risks of being unvaccinated, and how and when to access immunization services. Efforts were also made to counter misinformation and disinformation about vaccines and vaccination that could affect public perceptions of vaccine safety and, consequently, reduce the likelihood of individuals or their loved ones being vaccinated. This report highlights the regional VWA campaign, including the regional launch, communications materials, activities, and summaries of country and territory celebrations.
The vaccination companion: A quick guide for healthcare workers
(PAHO, 2024-09-27) Pan American Health Organization
In February 2023, a collaboration was formed between the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and Global Affairs Canada to initiate a social and behavior change project in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The project's initial phase aimed to understand barriers to vaccine uptake by raising public awareness, holding focus groups, and interviewing healthcare workers and the public. The Caribbean has seen significant reductions in vaccine-preventable diseases over the last twenty years, thanks to efforts such as PAHO's Expanded Program on Immunization. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, misinformation has led to public skepticism and concerns regarding vaccine safety. Despite receiving the first COVAX Facility doses in March 2021 and making robust distribution plans, uptake remains low, especially among healthcare workers. This hesitancy threatens global health initiatives.
Guidance on the use of mpox vaccines. Revised edition
(PAHO, 2024) Pan American Health Organization
On 23 July 2022, the WHO Director-General declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). A coordinated response was launched, aimed at interrupting transmission and protecting vulnerable groups, and a number of recommendations were made, including vaccination. These temporary recommendations apply to different groups of countries, based on their epidemiological situation, patterns of transmission, and capacities. These recommendations include different aspects such as: the implementation of a coordinated response, community engagement and protection, surveillance and public health measures, clinical management, and infection control, among others. WHO recommends use of the vaccine for countries that have imported cases of mpox in the population and/or human-to-human transmission of monkeypox virus, including in key population groups and communities at high risk of exposure. The overall goal of the global response to mpox as a PHEIC, is to stop human-to-human transmission and minimize zoonotic transmission of the monkeypox virus wherever it occurs. The use of vaccines can contribute to this response. However, vaccination should be considered a measure to complement primary public health interventions that include surveillance, early case detection, diagnosis and care, isolation and contact tracing and follow-up, and self-monitoring to reduce contacts. This document aims to provide useful accessible, and understandable information about mpox vaccines in order to facilitate deployment of vaccination strategies in the context of the current epidemiological scenario and based on the recommendations of the VIII Ad Hoc Meeting of the PAHO Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Vaccine-Preventable Diseases.
Guidelines for Dialogue: Journalists and communicators, how to approach COVID-19
(PAHO, 2022) Pan American Health Organization
The series Guidelines for Dialogue on COVID-19 Vaccination includes nine booklets in question-and-answer format for health personnel and vaccination teams fighting the disease on the front line, as well as for journalists and communicators in charge of the second essential front, that of information. The objective is to provide them with a simple, didactic and effective argument that facilitates the work of raising awareness of the importance of vaccines and simplifies the work of accompanying citizens in the process of making responsible decisions about health. To this end, these materials cover different topics, doubts and controversies about COVID-19, providing answers based on the most recent scientific evidence, in clear and accessible language, for use in health centers and in community vaccination campaigns. PAHO thus wishes to contribute to the effort that the Region of the Americas has undertaken against misinformation and the minority but counterproductive negationist theories that have become established in our societies and which, especially through the different forms of vaccine refusal, hinder the eradication of this pandemic. This guide presents a brief compilation of good practices for media professionals in order to avoid the spread of misinformation. In addition, it suggests certain themes with positive outcomes that could serve to draw public attention to the importance of vaccination.
Guidelines for Dialogue: Denialist theories about COVID-19 and vaccines
(PAHO, 2022) Pan American Health Organization
The series Guidelines for Dialogue on COVID-19 Vaccination includes nine booklets in question-and-answer format for health personnel and vaccination teams fighting the disease on the front line, as well as for journalists and communicators in charge of the second essential front, that of information. The objective is to provide them with a simple, didactic and effective argument that facilitates the work of raising awareness of the importance of vaccines and simplifies the work of accompanying citizens in the process of making responsible decisions about health. To this end, these materials cover different topics, doubts and controversies about COVID-19, providing answers based on the most recent scientific evidence, in clear and accessible language, for use in health centers and in community vaccination campaigns. PAHO thus wishes to contribute to the effort that the Region of the Americas has undertaken against misinformation and the minority but counterproductive denialist theories that have become established in our societies and that, especially through the different forms of vaccine refusal, hinder the eradication of this pandemic. This guide presents scientific evidence on COVID-19 that dismantles the main rumors and conspiracy theories that hinder the work of health personnel in extending vaccination among the population. It also provides links to official sites where the above-mentioned data can be consulted.