WHO recently launched a new alliance to combat misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies in Africa. The Infodemic Response Alliance (AIRA) will coordinate action and pool resources to promote accurate lifesaving information and debunk dangerous practices.
Digital platforms have been inundated with COVID-19-related information since the pandemic began in late 2019.
A large proportion of this information is inaccurate and misleading and continues to be shared by social media users as well as offline intentionally or unknowingly every day.
Fact-checking organizations in Africa say they have debunked more than 1000 misleading conspiracies around unproven treatments, false cures and anti-vaccine messages since the onset of the pandemic.
The Africa Infodemic Response Alliance will work collaboratively to counter false information around COVID-19 vaccines and complement on the ground public health awareness raising and community engagement efforts.
It also aims to support individual African countries in developing tailored infodemic management strategies, including analyzing trends and behaviours, recruiting specialists and refining systematic engagement strategies rooted in research and analytics.
This initiative puts into practice key recommendations on infodemic management that were developed by over 1 300 experts from across disciplines in early 2020 under the auspices of WHO’s global Information Network for Epidemics (EPI-WIN).
WHO thanks all donors and partners who have contributed to fund the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to combat COVID-19. A special appreciation goes to Member States and other contributors who provided flexible funds, making it possible for WHO to deliver a coherent, strategic and broad response.
More about this ground-breaking accurate information initiative on the WHO/AFRO website
Show your support and donate todayRead more about WHO’s response to COVID-19