Cancer, Vaccine Misinformation Rife in India, Medical Trust Essential: Report

A new report has highlighted the prevalence of health-related misinformation in India, particularly around cancer, reproductive health, vaccines, and lifestyle diseases.

Titled “Health Misinformation Vectors in India,” the report was unveiled at the Health of India Summit in New Delhi. It analysed health-related social media content spanning October 2023 to November 2024.

The study, conducted by experts from DataLEADS’ Spotlight and First Check—a global health fact-checking initiative—revealed a troubling shift toward rejecting conventional medicine in favour of unproven natural remedies.

The report warned of the serious consequences of health misinformation, including poor medical choices, treatment delays, and diminishing trust in healthcare professionals.

Experts highlighted how misinformation, such as claims of science-backed methods for selecting a child’s gender, perpetuates harmful societal biases like gender preference.

Additionally, the report expressed concern over the rise of generative AI tools, such as chatbots, which complicate efforts to identify and combat health misinformation.