Addressing Health-Related Misinformation and Disinformation

Health-related misinformation and disinformation represent significant and growing threats to public health. Misinformationthat is, false, misleading, or inaccurate information— often promotes narratives that can hinder effective preparedness for and responses to public health-related events and erode public trust in health authorities. This can create a vicious cycle through which low trust generates greater susceptibility to misleading information that, in turn, leads to less trust and more misinformation.

New research efforts and innovations are needed to anticipate and proactively address misinformation and disinformation around health topics, establish practical solutions, build trust, and ultimately advance the science of risk communication and infodemiology. 

The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security works to address health-related misinformation and disinformation by conducting research, identifying best practices, educating public health practitioners and policymakers, and furthering policy solutions to the problem.

Our work on misinformation and disinformation includes:

• The TRUST in Public Health website, which features:
  • A practitioner-validated checklist to build trust, improve public health communication, and anticipate misinformation during public health emergencies. 
  • An analysis of health-related rumors and misinformation that have come up during past public health emergencies. 
  • A pilot analysis exploring specific misinformation interventions to help policymakers and practitioners understand critical components of infodemic interventions.
  • An evidence-based framework for predicting future misinformation, managing or countering misinformation, and building trust in public health.
  • Recommendations to assist public health professionals in increasing or maintaining public trust during health emergencies when misinformation is abundant.
• The Practical playbook for addressing health misinformation , which takes a hands-on approach to help public health practitioners, medical professionals, and health communicators recognize and respond to health-related rumors and misinformation. 
• A project to understand disinformation about weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), the impact of this disinformation on non-proliferation efforts, and potential policy solutions. 
• An effort working to understand similarities and differences among different US and Russian news sources, focusing on rumors about Ukrainian bioweapon labs.
• Analysis of tweets about Ebola during the 2014 US outbreak, investigating health-related misinformation in the context of public health emergencies.
• Analysis of tweets about masks and vaccines in the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A proposal for developing a national strategy to address misinformation and disinformation surrounding COVID-19 and future emergencies.
• Economic analysis examining the costs of misinformation and disinformation related to COVID-19 nonvaccination.

Project Team

(sections listed in alphabetical order)

Lead: Tara Kirk Sell, PhD, MA

Center team: Vanessa Grégoire, MSc; Aishwarya Nagar, MPH; Hannah Ottman-Feeney; Christina Potter, MSPH; Alex Zhu, MSPH

Students: Amelia Jamison, MPH, MA; Emily O’Donnell-Pazderka, MA; Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS; Annie Sundelson, MSc

Past contributors: Richard Bruns, PhD; Arielle D’Souza; Courtney De Balmann; Erin Fink, MS; Johnross Ford, MS, MHS; Divya Hosangadi, MSPH; Noelle Huhn, MSPH; Sarah-Louise Pasquino; Maximillian Schwartz; Ellie Smith, MSPH; Marc Trotochaud, MSPH; Ruth Grace Wong

Project supported by:

• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Johns Hopkins University Catalyst Award
• National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM)
• Open Philanthropy (past funding support)