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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L'EUROPE WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО Member States consultation on mis- and disinformation in the context of noncommunicable diseases and risk factors Online Zoom event 09 August 2021 1 September 2021 Original: English 10:00 – 17:00 CET Scope and purpose Disinformation and ‘fake news’ are a growing concern as more and more individuals obtain their information from digital venues such as search engines or social media platforms. While generally the access to more information on health issues can be seen as positive, the spread of misinformation, or more acutely of disinformation1, is problematic as inaccurate information can lead to serious consequences such as harmful lifestyle or dietary choices, self-medication, the abandonment of medical treatment, or incorrect diagnosis. The impact of misinformation on health is apparent today; however, in what relates to Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) risk factors, it remains underexplored. According to a 2018 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) survey, half of all EU residents sought health information online in 2017, a figure that has almost doubled since 20082. This points towards a growing trend whereby digital natives seek early diagnosis, lifestyle counselling or dietary advice through internet searches and self-help tools and rely on internet articles as trustworthy sources of health information. This can lead to often worrisome results. For example, WebMD (a website providing health information) presented, in the past, several testimonials that argued for the healing effects of apricot seeds in the treatment of cancer3 although the general medical community has largely advised against their use and rather pointed out their potential poisonous effects4. Likewise, numerous accounts of a potential connection between autism and vaccination (namely measles, mumps, rubella) can still be found across cyberspace despite having been proved false by plentiful studies5. This has led the NGO Avaaz to question ‘Is Fake News Making Us Sick?’6 by analyzing how misinformation may be reducing vaccination rates in Brazil. 1 It is important to distinguish misinformation from disinformation. While the first might be simply described as the spread of false or inaccurate information, the second entails the proliferation of false information deliberately and often covertly in order to influence public opinion or to obscure the truth. 2 OECD/EU (2018), Health at a Glance: Europe 2018: State of Health in the EU Cycle, OECD Publishing, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/health_glance_eur-2018-en, p. 194. 3 WebMD has now corrected the claim and presents this information as inaccurate – https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1190/apricot-kernel 4 European Food Safety Authority, ‘Acute health risks related to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides in raw apricot kernels and products derived from raw apricot kernels’, EFSA Journal, 2016, available at: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4424 5 Frank DeStefano, Cristofer S. Price and Eric S. Weintraub, ‘Increasing Exposure to Antibody-Stimulating Proteins and Polysaccharides in Vaccines Is Not Associated with Risk of Autism’, The Journal of Pediatrics, vol. 163, issue 2, 2013. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.02.001 6 https://avaazimages.avaaz.org/Avaaz%20-%20Is%20Fake%20News%20Making%20Us%20Sick%3F.pdf  Scope and purpose page 2 The experience obtained through the COVID-19 crisis can be very valuable to address other health challenges, namely the spread of false information on risk factors connected to NCDs. Initiatives such as the above-mentioned can serve as a model to contribute to digital literacy around NCDs and help citizens to critically analyze online health information in that field. In 2019, the WHO enacted a statement on the Role of Social Media Platforms in Health Information7 qualifying ‘misinformation about vaccines as contagious and dangerous as the diseases it helps to spread’. Likewise, in February 2020, the WHO warned that the COVID-19 pandemic had been followed by an equally dangerous 'infodemic'8 – an overabundance of information, some accurate and some not – that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it'9. This ‘infodemic’ has severe consequences for human health and is part of a bigger trend of health disinformation. In the context of NCDs, the harmful impact of such misinformation and disinformation practices has not been properly addressed by national and international scientific authorities yet, even though it has been an area where behaviour (and external influences thereto, such as false information) plays such a vital role. This calls for more research to be conducted, including debating robust policy and regulatory changes at the level of sources of health information, as well as a strong investment in e-health literacy among the general population. In an effort to collect more experience in countering mis- and disinformation in the NCDs area and to build a catalogue of policy initiatives, the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of NCDs of the WHO Regional Office for Europe will hold a virtual consultation for Member States on mis- and disinformation in the context of noncommunicable diseases and risk factors slated for 1 September 2021, 10:00-17:00 CET. The objectives of the consultation are to: 1. Identify barriers, challenges and possible ways to fight NCD-health mis- and disinformation through state-led initiatives. 2. Discuss the spread of ‘fake news’ related to NCD. 3. Debate the role of Member States in combatting health mis- and disinformation, including their role in preventing NCD myths and conspiracy theories from spreading. 4. Explore best practices against NCD-related health mis- and disinformation. 5. Discuss the role of Member States in fighting health mis- and disinformation and showcase existing successful initiatives. It is expected that the consultation will inform the development of a toolkit of policy recommendations for the WHO European Region Member States to help tackle the negative impacts of mis- and disinformation on NCDs. The meeting structure will involve group discussions and sharing of experiences among the Member States representatives. The working languages will be English and Russian, and simultaneous interpretation will be provided. 7 https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/28-08-2019-who-director-general-statement-on-the-role-of-social-media- platforms-in-health-information 8 Also see this Avaaz Report on the Coronavirus Infodemic on Facebook - https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/facebook_coronavirus_misinformation/ 9 https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/52052 WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L'EUROPE WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО Member States consultation on mis- and disinformation in the context of noncommunicable diseases and nutrition Online Zoom event 09 August 2021 1 September 2021 Original: English 10:00 – 17:00 CET PROVISIONAL AGENDA 1. Welcome and introductions. 2. Background and objectives of the consultation. 3. Bringing stakeholders together to address NCD-related health misinformation: highlights from the previous two consultations with civil society and media/social media representatives. 4. Member States and the fight against mis- and disinformation on NCDs: sharing experiences and success stories: a. Member States presentations b. Plenary discussion to exchange experiences and success stories. 5. Going forward: the draft WHO toolkit to counter mis- and disinformation in the context of NCDs and risk factors. 6. Conclusions, recommendations and next steps. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION Date: 06 August 2021 ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L’EUROPE REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA Ms Elen Ohov ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО Adviser Head office: European Union Affairs UN City, Marmorvej 51, and International Co-operation Department DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Ministry of Social Affairs Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00; Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Email: [email protected] Suur-Ameerika 1 Website: http://www.euro.who.int Tallinn 10122 Estonia Our reference: WHO/GDO Your reference: Notre référence: -224-2021 Votre référence: Unser Zeichen: Ihr Zeichen: См. наш номер: На Ваш номер: Dear Ms Ohov, Regional consultation with Member States on mis- and disinformation in the context of noncommunicable diseases and risk factors Online event, 1 September 2021 The WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) will convene the above-mentioned online consultation on 1 September 2021, 10:00 – 17:00 CET. The meeting will gather the Member States representatives working in the areas of health misinformation and related policy areas as a way to tackle and prevent NCDs and will factor in conclusions made at the prior two online consultations with civil society and social media representatives on this subject. The main objective is to collect best practices in combatting mis- and disinformation in the context of NCDs and to devise a catalogue of related policy initiatives. These will ultimately contribute to the drafting of a policy toolkit to help Member States fight NCD-related mis- and disinformation. The regional consultation will provide a unique platform to: 1. Identify barriers, challenges and possible ways to fight NCD-health mis- and disinformation through state-led initiatives. 2. Discuss the spread of ‘fake news’ related to NCD. 3. Debate the role of Member States in combatting health mis- and disinformation, including their role in preventing NCD myths and conspiracy theories from spreading. 4. Explore best practices against NCD-related health mis- and disinformation and showcase existing successful initiatives. The meeting structure will involve presentations by selected Member States and the exchange of good practices and successful initiatives. The working language will be English and Russian, and simultaneous interpretation will be provided. UN City, Marmorvej 51 Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00 Email: [email protected] DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Website: http://www.euro.who.int Denmark Please, find attached the Scope and Purpose and the Provisional Agenda of the meeting. We look forward to receiving your country’s nomination with the names, functional titles and email addresses of up to two participants, including the national focal point for health misinformation (if there is one) and one other delegate, whose expertise covers most of the areas below: • Health information and social media (e.g. Communications Department, Ministry of Health); • COVID-19 information and web-content (e.g. special taskforce for COVID-19 communication); • Communication policy of the government (e.g. specialized body for communications). The Secretariat will then communicate directly with the nominees, providing the necessary documentation and administrative information in good time. We would be grateful if your response could be addressed to Dr Carina Ferreira Borges, a.i. Head of the WHO European Office of Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases [email protected] with a copy to Olga Oleinik ([email protected]) and Dodkhudo Tuychiev ([email protected]) before 23 August 2021. Sincerely yours, for Dr Nino Berdzuli Director Division of Country Health Programmes Enclosures: Scope and Purpose Provisional Agenda Copy for information: Ms Triin Uusberg, Head, European and International Coordination Department, Ministry of Social Affairs, Suur- Ameerika 1, Tallinn 10129, Estonia H.E. Ms Katrin Saarsalu-Layachi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Estonia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28A, Genève CH-1209, Switzerland H.E. Mr William Mart Laanemäe, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of Estonia, Frederiksgade 19, 4th floor, Copenhagen K 1265, Denmark Ms Kristina Köhler, Liaison Officer, WHO Country Office, Estonia, Paldiski Road 81, Tallinn 10617, Estonia –2– Saatja: OLEINIK, Olga <[email protected]> Saadetud: 12.08.2021 17:48 Adressaat: Elen Ohov <[email protected]> Koopia: Triin Uusberg <[email protected]>; SM Info <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; KÖHLER, Kristina <[email protected]>; JORGE DOS SANTOS FERREIRA BORGES BIGOT, Ana Carina <[email protected]>; WICKRAMASINGHE, Kremlin <[email protected]>; TUYCHIEV, Dodkhudo <[email protected]> Teema: Online Regional consultation with Member States on mis- and disinformation in the context of noncommunicable diseases and risk factors, 1 September 2021: ESTONIA Manused: image001.png; image002.jpg; Estonia_Invitation_memberMember States_disinformation.pdf; 1. ScopeandPurpose_Misinformation 10921_MemberStates final.pdf; 2. Provisional agenda_Disinformation_MS_010921_final ENG.pdf Dear Ms Ohov, On behalf of Dr Nino Berdzulli, Director of the Division of Country Health Programmes at WHO Regional Office for Europe, pleased to share with you the letter of invitation to the online Regional consultation with Member States on mis- and disinformation in the context of noncommunicable diseases and risk factors slated for 1 September 2021. Enclosed are the scope and purpose and the provisional agenda. We look forward to receiving your country nominated delegate(s) with the name, functional title and email address to be communicated to a.i. Head of the WHO European Office of Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases [email protected] with a copy to Olga Oleinik ([email protected]) and Dodkhudo Tuychiev ([email protected]) before 23 August 2021. Best regards, Olga Olga Oleinik WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office) Moscow, Russian Federation Office:+ 7495 787 21 70 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.euro.who.int/en/NCDoffice