By Canada’s Biomedical, Clinical, Research and Health-care Community
In Canada and around the world, science is under attack. Increasingly, clearly false health information is being normalized and it’s causing serious harm to patients, communities, public trust and health policy.
That’s why we must thoughtfully engage and counter health misinformation. We must speak up and we must support science. That’s why we must thoughtfully engage and counter health misinformation. We must speak up and we must support science.
To cite just a few examples, contrary to popular misinformation, the current body of evidence has shown that:
- Vaccines do not cause or increase the risk for autism. Vaccines are safe and effective.
- Ivermectin is not an effective treatment for COVID, cancer or autism.
- The COVID vaccines are not associated with “sudden death,” “excess deaths” or “turbo cancer.” COVID vaccines have been studied extensively, have saved millions of lives and have numerous health and system benefits and an impressive safety profile.
- Biomedical researchers are not withholding effective cancer cures to profit off existing treatments.
Health misinformation is spread for a host of reasons: profit, politics, brand building and to create information chaos and an erosion of trust.
Regardless of intent, these lies are everywhere, and they are increasingly shaping public discourse, public beliefs and policy actions.
Amid this assault, Canadian academic, clinical and biomedical institutions stand together:
- In solidarity with clinical and scientific entities throughout the world who are struggling against regressive forces;
- Against the politicization and normalization of health misinformation;
- Against the mischaracterization and undermining of the body of evidence that is used to inform clinical and health policy decisions; and
- In support of individuals and networks working together to counter harmful health misinformation and advance scientific research.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
We all have a role to play in standing up for science. Speak up and share your stories about how false health information is impacting you, Canada and the world. Together, we can make the Canadian information environment more resilient and protect the health of Canadians.
Together, let’s speak up and say unwaveringly that #ScienceMatters.
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Previously Published on healthydebate.ca with Creative Commons License
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Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by healthlydays.
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