U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued the first Surgeon General’s Advisory of this Administration to warn the public about the urgent threat of health misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This advisory outlines how the public can confront health misinformation by helping individuals, families and communities better identify and limit its spread. The advisory also shares a number of ways institutions in education, media, medicine, research and government stakeholders can approach this issue.
Studies have shown that even brief exposure to misinformation made people less likely to want a COVID-19 vaccine, dividing families and communities and undermining vaccination and treatment efforts.