'Nigeria Health Watch uses informed advocacy and communication to influence health policy and seek better health and access to healthcare in Nigeria. We seek to amplify some of the great work happening in the health sector, challenge the bad, and create a space for positive ideas and action.'
Its lead story today is: Building a Community Network for Health Misinformation Management. Introduction below. Read in full: https://articles.nigeriahealthwatch.com/building-a-community-network-for...
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“I consumed large amounts of garlic or sometimes ingested excessive vitamins to prevent infection. Others also resorted to drinking substances like ‘agbo’ to prevent Coronavirus.”
Smith Jow** during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic
“The HPV Vaccine causes infertility, and it is a plan by the West to reduce the population of Africa especially Nigerians, so, I will not allow my daughter to take it.”
Joy Thomas** — reacting to the introduction of the HPV vaccine to Nigeria’s Routine Immunisation Schedule.
As of January 2024, more than 7 million COVID–19–related deaths have been recorded globally and a significant portion of these fatalities could have been easily prevented. Unfortunately, the spread of health misinformation played a detrimental role in undermining preventive measures put in place by public health agencies which resulted in most of these deaths. False claims, conspiracy theories, and stigma were identified as major contributors to these unnecessary deaths and hesitancies.Health
Fighting a pandemic of misinformation
In response to the infodemic during the COVID-19 outbreak, Nigeria Health Watch launched the Health Misinformation Management Project in 2020 in partnership with Meedan, a technology not-for-profit organisation and in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC)...
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HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
