IPHA President and Professor, Department of Community Medicine, AIIMS, Sanjay Kumar Rai, said at the Infodemic Pandemic eSummit – HEAL-Thy Samvaad Episode-19, organized by HEAL Health.
‘There is fear and uncertainty associated with Covid-19, anxiety, and distress caused by lockdowns and social distancing, limited access to mental health services and this is all due to the misinformation and disinformation surfacing around.’
This was also echoed by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) which noted that although children remain susceptible to infection, it was “highly unlikely that the third wave will predominantly or exclusively affect children”.
The experts further stated that the onset of Covid-19 also led to an overabundance of information, impacting the mental health of people. This was further exacerbated by the lockdowns and other restrictions.
“There is fear and uncertainty associated with Covid-19, anxiety, and distress caused by lockdowns and social distancing, limited access to mental health services — and this is all due to the misinformation and disinformation surfacing around,” National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences’ (NIMHANS) Centre for Psycho-Social Support in Disaster Management head, Prof K. Sekar, said.
Interestingly, the World Economic Forum cautions overabundance of information as digital wildfires, JNU’s Centre of Social Medicine & Community Health Chairperson Dr. Rajib Das Gupta said.
“The Covid rumor waves started as early as the third week of January and the second rumor surfaced in the month of February. There has been confusion around, and all forms of media are pumping the information but all are not credible. There has been a very complex situation as a multitude of activities are going on. There is a lack of risk communication,” Das Gupta said.
The experts noted that the misinformation also plays a role in vaccine hesitancy.
Source: IANS
