WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has launched new guidelines designed to support health workers and other professionals in identifying and responding to vaccine misinformation, which it describes as a growing phenomenon that threatens to undermine confidence in immunisation and jeopardise public health progress across the region.

The guides provide practical tools for key audiences, including health workers, national immunisation programme managers, health communicators, journalists, educators, and content creators, to strengthen their capacity to recognise and counter false or misleading messages about vaccines.

“Studies have shown that exposure to vaccine misinformation, even for a short period of time, can negatively influence people’s perceptions and their decision to get vaccinated,” said Daniel Salas, executive manager of the Special Programme for Comprehensive Immunization al PAHO.

“Even individuals who have been vaccinated in the past can be negatively influenced by misinformation.”

The documents outline common strategies used to spread false information, such as using data without scientific evidence, appealing to strong emotions, promoting conspiracy theories, discrediting experts or institutions, and selectively using true information to make false claims appear legitimate.

They also offer guidance on identifying red flags in misleading materials, including frequent spelling or grammatical errors, sensationalist headlines, and the excessive use of capital letters or exclamation marks.

PAHO said that given the vital role that health workers play as the most trusted source of information on immunisation, the materials include recommendations on how to respond with empathy and transparency to patients who express doubts or fears due to misinformation. PAHO said it has also developed tailored guidance for journalists, offering suggestions on how to provide balanced, evidence-based coverage of vaccination while avoiding the inadvertent spread of anti-science narratives.

For educators, the guides propose classroom activities to help strengthen students’ media, digital and health literacy, encouraging them to critically assess the information they encounter on social media and other platforms.

The guidelines emphasise that combating misinformation must go hand-in-hand with broader efforts to build trust and increase vaccination coverage.

“Human behaviour is complex, and while addressing misinformation is essential, it’s not a silver bullet,” Salas said.

“In areas with low coverage, we encourage countries to apply tools such as microplanning and the guidance on social and behavioural drivers of vaccination to gain a deeper understanding of community perceptions, social norms and potential logistical barriers.”

PAHO said that through the publication of these new guides, it aims to support countries of the Americas, including the Caribbean, in strengthening vaccine confidence, reinforcing national immunisation programmes, and sustaining the region’s long-standing leadership in vaccination, one of the greatest public health achievements in the Americas.