Scientists and health authorities are warned that health hoaxes are winning the battle in the networks


May 14, 2020

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This article was translated from Spanish

New research published in the journal 'Nature' warns scientists that they're fighting hoaxes and misinformation in the wrong place as a new map they've developed reveals that mistrust of healthcare experience is winning the battle In Internet.

According to this study, Facebook communities distrustful of the orientation of health establishments are more effective than government health agencies and other health groups to achieve reliable and attract undecided people.

Researchers at George Washington University have developed a first map of its kind to track the conversation about the vaccine among 100 million Facebook users during the height of the 2019 outbreak of measles in the United States.

Scientists and health authorities are warned that health hoaxes are winning the battle in the networks

The new study and its 'battlefield' map reveal how mistrust of the establishment's health orientation could spread and dominate online conversations over the next decade, potentially jeopardizing public health efforts to protect covid-19 populations and future pandemics through vaccines.

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