E-learning: How to Address Online Vaccination Misinformation

"The spread of vaccination misinformation can lead to decreased confidence in vaccines and ultimately thereby to reduced vaccine acceptance and uptake."

Results from a 2019 survey show that almost half of people in the European Union think vaccines can often produce severe side effects, and 38% believe that vaccines cause disease. Such attitudes and beliefs can be caused or exacerbated by misinformation spreading online. In response, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) developed an e-learning course that offers evidence-based strategies and tools to address online vaccination misinformation. It is designed to support public health practitioners and risk communicators in fighting the spread of vaccination misinformation on social media and other digital platforms.

The 4-hour online training pulls together research in the fields of psychology, social and behavioural science, and communication. It is self-paced and open to all. Although it is non-moderated, the course features videos from experts in vaccinology, behaviour change, and infodemic management, as well as animations, good practice examples, and links to supplementary materials. A discussion forum is also available for those who want to engage with other learners on the course.

Some of the topics covered in the training include:

• The spectrum of vaccine decision-making and the factors affecting vaccine acceptance;
• Common themes in vaccine misinformation;
• The most common misleading techniques;
• How to monitor social media so as to identify misinformation in public online conversations;
• The social listening cycle and its stages;
• The importance of health and vaccine literacy in recognising vaccine misinformation and increasing vaccine uptake;
• When to address misinformation: the prebunking and debunking approaches; and
• How to monitor and evaluate interventions aimed at addressing online misinformation about vaccination.