Great Lakes Wire

Nicole Wood, Social Media and Communications Specialist, recently gave a presentation at the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) annual conference. The presentation was titled “The Great Infodemic: Building Science Communication Pathways to Address Public Health Misinformation.” Wood’s talk focused on science communication and how effective communication practices can improve public health functions amid misinformation.

Wood explained that public health was hindered during the COVID-19 pandemic largely due to what the World Health Organization (WHO) has called an “infodemic.” According to WHO, an infodemic is “too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak. It causes confusion and risk-taking behaviors that can harm health.”

“Multiple studies have shown that after the COVID-19 vaccines were made available to the public between 200,000 – 318,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. could have been prevented if those individuals had received the COVID-19 vaccine,” explained Wood. “Many of those lives were lost because people fell victim to misinformation.”

Wood urges public health professionals to improve skills in science communication to help mitigate the effects of infodemics. She shares that developing communication strategies is a crucial aspect of protecting the health of the public. This includes mindfully planning strategies around different communities and audiences.

“Science communication serves as both a practice with much needed guidance on how best to use communication tools for various audiences and a data-driven research field,” said Wood. “Both avenues of science communication need further investment, so that public health communication professionals can better help their communities address misinformation and thus facilitate positive health outcomes for the many public health issues communities face.”

For more information on the NNPHI conference visit:

MPHI employees attend NNPHI Conference – MPHI

The World Health Organization (WHO) has 194 Member States across 6 regions and is on the ground in 150+ locations.

For more information: https://loom.ly/UWdqifw

Thank you for playing. Join in next week for more trivia fun. The Equity in Action (EIA) Series at MPHI aims to equip professionals with the knowledge and skills to move equity from an intellectual concept into everyday practice. Follow the link to learn more and register: https://loom.ly/smgOVRc #EIAatMPHI