Addressing mpox misinformation: practical tips for communities

Overview

Communities play a vital role in responding to health emergencies such as mpox, including tackling the “infodemic”. An infodemic happens when there is an overwhelming amount of information, both accurate and false during a health crisis. This can include misinformation (unintentionally false information) and disinformation (deliberately false information) which may affect how individuals and communities behave. These behaviours can harm health outcomes and weaken public health efforts to control the spread of mpox.

Infodemics have been observed in many places during mpox outbreaks, and they can have a negative effect on efforts to get the outbreak under control. Regular social listening can offer useful insights to support the development of mpox-related resources, and guide recommendations for health professionals and for communities.

What can you do if you are confronted with mpox-related misinformation in everyday life, perhaps from a patient at the clinic, a relative during family dinner or in text messages, or people at a religious gathering? How do you respond, in those moments? Everyone can play a role in managing rumours, myths, misinformation and disinformation, regardless of their role or position in the community.

This document describes the ways in which communities can contribute to this. While these tips are focused on mpox, they can be helpful for addressing misinformation on any topic.