Lying day. Here’s what we’re reading the most about health (and how to report it)

DrShould I have a stock of antibiotics at home? Do gloves replace hand washing? These are some of the most common myths in health that the Directorate General of Health (DGS) is now working to demystify.

In connection with April Fools’ Day, which is celebrated today, April 1, the General Directorate of Food decided to launch a digital campaign on misinformation in the health field, “with the aim of addressing some common myths and misinformation”.

To do this, he turned to his social networks to clarify some information that is often circulated on the Internet and is widely shared. Now look at some:

Myth or Reality: What would you like to share?

In the 𝗗𝗶𝗮 𝗱𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗮 , file #DGS A digital campaign on health misinformation is launched, aiming to tackle some of the common myths and misinformation.@employee @employee pic.twitter.com/krgKVaobtk

– DGS (@DGSaude) April 1, 2023

On its website, the Directorate General of Democracy highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided “a unique opportunity for institutions in the health sector, especially public health,” because it has expanded the audience that usually visits websites and social networks in this field.

An example is the service’s Facebook page, which has grown from 100,000 to 830,000 followers. “However, despite the partnerships developed in this period with Facebook, Google or Polygraph, misinformation and the sharing of fake news has spread over the past three years,” he lamented.

“Currently, misinformation is a growing concern also in the field of infectious diseases, due to universal and easy access to information, but this is not always true, and can be detrimental to a healthy lifestyle, correct diagnosis or adequate treatment,” the DGS explains in a note.

Therefore, this new digital campaign is a way to address some of the most common myths and misinformation in the areas of vaccination, physical activity, healthy eating, infection prevention, diabetes and oral health.

DGS also takes the opportunity to call for false information to be reported on social networks and explains how:

• Click on the icon above the post you want to mark as fake;
• Click on the report;
• click wrong info;
• Select the reason for reporting the post.

“Make sure you only share the right information!” , concludes the note of this entity.

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