Popova spoke about the new challenge after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic

A new global challenge for the security of the HEALTH of citizens is the "infodemic" - an overabundance of information and undermining trust in official sources. This was announced by the HEAD of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova within the framework of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), RBC correspondent reports.

“The new challenge is the infodemic. Trust in the information of a scientist, an official or a neighbor turned out to be different. Information should be presented to different social groups in different ways,” she said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) website, an “infodemic” refers to an overabundance of both online and offline information, which may include deliberate attempts to spread false information in order to undermine the response of health systems. “Inaccurate and deliberately false information can harm the physical and mental health of people; reinforce stigmatization; jeopardize critical health gains and breed disregard for public health measures, thereby reducing their effectiveness and limiting the ability of countries to end the pandemic,” the statement said.

Earlier, Rospotrebnadzor also warned the media, social networks and other network resources about the inadmissibility of publishing unverified data on vaccination against coronavirus infection. They noted that inaccurate information distorts people's perception of the need for vaccination, causes distrust in the measures taken in RUSSIA to combat covid-19 , and discredits the healthcare management system. Ultimately, this can lead to an increase in the incidence of coronavirus infection.