Misinformation in Medicine: On the Portrayal of Vaccines in Social Media

In our eighth student-hosted Medicine 360 podcast, Dr Rajeka Lazarus talks about misinformation regarding vaccine portrayal on social media.

In this podcast, Dr Lazarus discusses some of the ways in which social media shapes misconceptions about vaccines, such as the common belief they can be used in place of antibiotics. These misconceptions can influence patients's perceptions of the healthcare system. She highlights the importance of vaccinations in treating infectious diseases, and calls for accurate reporting on the safety and benefits of vaccines.

This is both a complex and important topic, and this podcast aims to highlight the risks of misinformation from social media about vaccines, and the impact of such misinformation on public health, public trust, and medical decision making.

Dr Rajeka Lazarus is a consultant in infectious diseases and microbiology with a research interest in adult vaccinations. Dr Lazarus is one of the co-founders of the UK Clinical Vaccine Network (UK CVN -- link below), which focuses on advancing and promoting awareness about adult vaccinations through collaborations, conferences and research.

The podcast is hosted by Kothai Anbarasan, a second-year medical student from the University of Bristol.

We hope that you enjoy listening to this podcast.

For more information on vaccines (including the Covid-19 vaccine), misinformation on social media and/or the CVN UK, please refer to the following links below:

(1): https://cvnuk.co.uk/

(2): https://post.parliament.uk/covid-19-vaccine-misinformation/

(3): https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/

(4): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/86-of-parents-rank-nhs-staff-most-trusted-on-vaccine-information

(5): https://phw.nhs.wales/news/addressing-vaccine-hesitancy-and-misinformation-protects-public-health/