The quality of information affects public health. When false or misleading news concerns care, medicines and prevention it can shape harmful behaviour, and the risk concentrates where digital skills and access to reliable sources are weakest. This overview gathers official data and references on these risks and on the international responses.
The infodemic and health risks
The World Health Organization (WHO) uses the term infodemic to describe the overabundance of information, including false or misleading content, that accompanies health emergencies and makes it harder for people to find their bearings. The United Nations Global Principles for Information Integrity, presented on 24 June 2024, place public health among the areas at risk: according to the document, misinformation, disinformation and hate speech fuel conflict, endanger democracy and human rights, and undermine public health and climate action. The same text notes that the spread of such content is amplified by the ready availability of artificial intelligence tools, with a greater risk for the groups most exposed, children included. The Principles stem from a proposal in Our Common Agenda, the United Nations Secretary-General’s 2021 report; at the launch an internal survey was cited in which 80% of the UN staff who responded said that harmful information endangers them and the communities they serve.
Substandard and falsified medicines
A concrete example of harm concerns medical products. According to the WHO fact sheet updated on 3 December 2024, at least 1 in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified, and countries spend around US$ 30.5 billion a year on such products. The WHO notes that these products are often sold online or in informal markets and identifies, among the factors that fuel their circulation, limited consumer awareness and the difficulty of recognising them, together with weak regulatory systems, complex supply chains and limited access to genuine, affordable medicines. The rise of sales through unauthorised sites, the Organization adds, has made it easier for falsified products to reach consumers. The WHO recalls that these products may be ineffective, contain incorrect doses or toxic substances, with consequences ranging from treatment failure to poisoning, and may foster antimicrobial resistance; they affect every category of product, including vaccines, antibiotics and cancer therapies. Even in high-income countries, the Organization notes, the global trade in medicines carries risks along the distribution chain.
The digital divide as a multiplier
The weight of these risks is not evenly distributed. The WHO lists among the most exposed vulnerable populations, countries with weaker health systems and those who buy medical products from unauthorised sources, including online. In this context, low digital literacy and unequal access to reliable information act as multipliers: those with fewer tools to assess a source or recognise manipulated content are more exposed to choices that harm their health. For this reason UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) promotes media and information literacy (MIL), a set of skills for navigating information, disinformation and digital tools, including artificial intelligence. When buying medicines online in particular, the ability to tell an authorised source from an unauthorised one depends directly on the digital skills of the person seeking care, and the WHO itself places among the most exposed the countries with weaker social protection and disrupted supply chains.
The international responses
On governance, the Global Principles for Information Integrity propose a framework for multilateral action built on five principles: societal trust and resilience; healthy incentives; public empowerment; independent, free and pluralistic media; and transparency and research. The document asks, among others, governments, platforms, advertisers and media not to use or amplify disinformation, and specific measures to protect children. Concrete proposals include timely access to information, the guarantee of a free and pluralistic media landscape, protection for journalists and researchers, and a call on those who develop artificial intelligence systems to design and use them safely and in a way that respects rights. On the health front, the WHO works through the Member State mechanism and the Global Surveillance and Monitoring System (GSMS), launched in 2013, which collects reports on suspect products and issues alerts among national authorities.
Outlook
Implementation of the Principles for Information Integrity rests on the voluntary participation of governments, technology companies and other actors, and remains to be tested over time. On medical products, the WHO plans to strengthen surveillance and information campaigns, while gaps remain to be closed in regulation, in access to safe medicines and in the population’s digital skills. The same organizations note that the spread of disinformation, now accelerated by artificial intelligence, grows faster than the tools for verification and literacy available.
In dialogue with the 2030 Agenda
- Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Information integrity and access to reliable sources support institutions and rights; the United Nations Principles aim at safer information spaces.
- Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Health disinformation and falsified medicines directly affect care and patient safety.
- Goal 4 (Quality Education). Media and information literacy is the tool identified to recognise and counter disinformation.
- Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The harm concentrates on those with fewer digital skills and unequal access, widening existing gaps.
