Health misinformation can be deadly, both directly and indirectly. Misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines and their development process during a public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic caused vaccine hesitancy among the public, resulting in low vaccination rates that prevent herd immunity from being achieved. Due to the high level of uncertainty caused by the pandemic and the relatively quick pace of vaccine development compared to other types of traditional vaccines, Vaccination concerns were naturally raised by the public, and information was sought to guide critical decision-making, such as whether to get vaccinated. In order to curb the pandemic, vaccines were the solution. Despite this, there is misinformation on social media about vaccination and its effects on fertility (Moodley et al., 2021). Young women may decline vaccinations due to this concern. The confusion stems from the fact that the clinical trials did not include pregnant or lactating women, so there is no safety information for these populations.
Toudic et al. (2018) study claim vaccination can cause infertility because antibodies linked to the coronavirus spike protein react with placenta syncytin-1. As a result of the similarity in structure between the human and viral proteins, the protective antibodies against the coronavirus prevent the placenta from developing correctly, leading to pregnancy loss. However, information stating that the coronavirus protein prevents placental development is incorrect because there is no evidence that the coronavirus’ spike protein amino acid sequence is similar to that of the placental syncytin-1. On the contrary, women involved in vaccine trials (vaccinated women) have unintentionally conceived while participating, proving that the COVID-19 vaccine does not cause infertility (Moodley et al., 2021).
The spread of health misinformation has always been a problem, but it has reached unprecedented levels of speed and scale today. In this new era of information, we are still learning how to use it. In spite of that, we know enough to know misinformation is an urgent threat, and we must and can deal with it together. Health misinformation can only be addressed by recognizing that each of us, in every sector of society, has a responsibility to do something about it. It is the responsibility of every individual to confront misinformation. However, it is not simply an individual responsibility. Our institutions must recognize that this issue is their moral and civic responsibility as well. By working together, we can shape our information environment. Only then can we work toward a healthier information environment - one that empowers us to build a world that is healthier, kinder, and more connected (Murthy, 2021).
Reference Moodley, J., Khaliq, O. P., & Mkhize, P. Z. (2021). Misrepresentation about vaccines that are scaring women. African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 13(1), e1–e2. https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v13i1.2953
Murthy, V. (2021). Confronting Health Misinformation. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-misinformation-advisory.pdf
Toudic, C., Vargas, A., Xiao, Y., St‐Pierre, G., Bannert, N., Lafond, J., Rassart, E., Sato, S., & Barbeau, B. (2019). Galectin‐1 interacts with the human endogenous retroviral envelope protein syncytin‐2 and potentiates trophoblast fusion in humans. The FASEB Journal, 33(11), 12873–12887. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.201900107r
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