Confronting Disinformation in the Global Anti-Vaccine Discourse

The spread of vaccine disinformation has become a significant global health threat, undermining public trust, hindering immunization efforts, and reversing decades of progress in disease prevention. The United States has emerged as a major source of global vaccine disinformation, weakening international confidence, though other countries are facing similar challenges as well. Although institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remain respected, their credibility has been compromised by domestic political interference, institutional challenges, and unregulated digital platforms, with global consequences. As stated in the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2023 report State of the World’s Children, viral social media posts originating from the U.S. have promoted conspiracy theories in West African countries, eroding trust and reducing demand for COVID-19 and childhood vaccines. Similarly, international organizations and national ministries increasingly face vaccine hesitancy fueled by disinformation linked to American political discourse and media. Social media algorithms, political polarization, and declining institutional trust create disinformation ecosystems that influence vaccine hesitancy across high-, middle-, and low-income countries.

This session brings together high-level speakers from key global health actors to address the growing influence of anti-vaccine narratives and disinformation in the global discourse and discuss coordinated strategies to restore public trust and promote and strengthen evidence-based immunization efforts.