WHO Director of Immunization Delivers Key Message on Vaccines and Biologicals

The fight against misinformation goes to the heart of trust in public health

We are witnessing a critical turning point in global health. While vaccines have saved an estimated 150 million lives over the past half-century, this remarkable achievement faces a growing threat: the rapid spread of misinformation. Unlike physical viruses, false information travels faster and further than truth, threatening to reverse decades of progress in vaccine coverage and disease control.

Vaccines represent one of public health’s most powerful and cost-effective tools. Every minute, they save more than five lives worldwide. Their benefits extend beyond individual protection, reducing pressure on healthcare systems, preventing families from falling into extreme poverty, and contributing significantly to economic growth.

The success stories are numerous and compelling. Thanks to vaccination efforts, over 18 million people who would have been paralyzed by polio can walk today. More than 90 million children who would have died from measles are alive. Over a million deaths from cervical cancer have already been prevented. Countless others have been spared severe illness and lifelong disabilities from diseases like meningitis, pneumonia, whooping cough, and hepatitis B.

Yet these hard-won gains face erosion—not from a lack of safe, effective vaccines or waning innovation, but from the insidious spread of misinformation.

The consequences are both real and devastating. Recent cases have documented healthy children dying after contracting measles or from its long-term complications. Childhood vaccination rates in countries that once boasted high coverage are now dropping to alarming levels. These national statistics mask even more troubling localized trends, with some communities falling far below the 95% coverage threshold needed for herd immunity. The resulting coverage gaps have triggered significant increases in measles cases and deaths, even in wealthy nations like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other European countries.

According to the latest WHO-UNICEF estimates, 14.5 million infants worldwide missed receiving even a single vaccine dose in 2024. These “zero-dose” children—many living in fragile settings with limited healthcare access—face heightened vulnerability, with misinformation creating an additional barrier to protection.

Anti-vaccine narratives employ disturbingly predictable tactics. They promote conspiracy theories portraying governments, scientists, and pharmaceutical companies as corrupt. They elevate self-proclaimed experts who undermine legitimate science. They selectively cite studies while ignoring overwhelming scientific consensus. They misrepresent safety data, particularly from passive surveillance systems. They demand impossible standards of 100% effectiveness with zero risk, and they employ emotional manipulation rather than factual analysis.

Research shows that conventional fact-checking has limited effectiveness. Once exposed to falsehoods, people often continue to believe them even after seeing corrections. This represents a challenge of influence, not ignorance. Increasingly, misinformation flows from influential figures who promote thoroughly debunked myths, such as the discredited claim linking MMR vaccines to autism. Pseudoscience and selective “evidence” create confusion among well-intentioned parents trying to make the best decisions for their children.

The World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) plays a crucial role in combating this trend. SAGE ensures vaccination policies remain grounded in rigorous evidence through its transparent Evidence to Recommendations approach. This framework evaluates efficacy, safety, cost-effectiveness, disease burden, and programmatic feasibility to develop comprehensive policy recommendations.

At its upcoming September meeting, SAGE will address several critical areas: immunization strategies for emergencies and fragile settings, guidance on new vaccine introductions, approaches to reach zero-dose children, closing equity gaps, and strengthening vaccine safety monitoring systems.

These evidence-based recommendations provide essential guidance for national governments navigating complex decisions amid rising public skepticism. In an era of fragmented discourse and politicized science, SAGE serves as a guardian of scientific integrity—not only shaping policy but reinforcing public confidence in health institutions.

Addressing today’s vaccination challenges requires a multifaceted approach. Listening to public and family concerns must remain central. Active counter-measures against disinformation at its source, including collaboration with social scientists to understand hesitancy dynamics, are essential. Transparency, particularly during periods of uncertainty, builds trust. Supporting stakeholders across health systems, education, media, and community leadership to share accurate information creates a network of trusted voices.

Our collective responsibility is clear: protecting evidence-based decisions as vigorously as we protect lives. Rebuilding trust—conversation by conversation, policy by policy, and fact by fact—remains fundamental to securing the future of public health.