FK-KMK UGM. The Department of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Gadjah Mada University (FK-KMK UGM) organized a seminar rabuan on the topic of the Impact of Disinformation on Health Program Implementation on Tuesday (7/5) and was broadcast live on the Knowledge Channel YouTube.
This week’s seminar rabuan was presented by Dr. Citra Indriani., MPH., from the Center for Tropical Medicine UGM and the Technical Assistance Team of the Wolbachia Pilot Project of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia in 5 cities. In her presentation, Dr. Citra explained the impact of disinformation on the implementation of the Wolbachia pilot project conducted some time ago. Considered as a new effective solution in addressing the spread of dengue fever, Wolbachia is a natural bacterium, a symbiont commonly found in arthropod hosts, with mechanisms capable of inhibiting dengue virus replication. Research conducted on the implementation of Wolbachia in Yogyakarta showed a 77% reduction in Dengue Incidence Rate (IR). Its success prompted the Ministry of Health of Indonesia to adopt this Wolbachia technology by issuing Minister of Health Decree Number 1341 of 2022 concerning the Implementation of the Wolbachia Technology Pilot Project in 5 cities, namely Semarang, Bontang, West Jakarta, Kupang, and one of them being Bandung.
However, it turns out that society is not yet fully prepared to accept and digest this policy. Following the implementation of the pilot project, there were misinformation campaigns in society regarding Wolbachia, such as rumors that Wolbachia could cause sexual orientation disorders, Wolbachia could make people simultaneously attacked by mosquitoes in large numbers, Wolbachia is a dangerous genetic engineering, and even rumors that Wolbachia could actually cause other diseases such as Javanicus encephalitis.
According to Dr. Citra, misinformation is now a very strong influencer of social change in the digital transformation era. This is driven by the ease of widespread access to information, yet not matched with sufficient public knowledge capacity to filter which information is appropriate and which is not. This can be a threat as it can lead to a crisis of information, thus reducing the credibility and trust of the public towards health authorities, decreasing public participation in health programs, lowering vaccination rates, outbreaks and resurgences, and long-term social and economic impacts.
In her presentation, Dr. Citra summarized several steps that can be taken to prevent and address misinformation. “Public acceptance through comprehensive, detailed, and thorough social and legal publications, with the support of the government and the community. In terms of preparation, we can strengthen early warning systems (preparedness), inclusive campaigns, and cross-sector coordination. Reflecting on health programs dominated by health aspects, good coordination systems to communities, NGOs, and universities must also be strengthened and mitigated early on. Finally, providing timely responses with adequate systems to avoid prolonged information crises,” explained Dr. Citra.
With discussions on the impact of misinformation on health program implementation, this week’s seminar rabuan adapted Points 3 and 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Point 3 highlights the need for healthy and prosperous lives for all, while Point 4 emphasizes the importance of education for sustainable development. Misinformation can hinder efforts to achieve both of these goals by spreading false information about health and education, thus affecting the decisions and behaviors of society. This seminar aims to raise awareness of the impact of misinformation and identify strategies to overcome it in order to achieve sustainable health and education goals. (Assyifa/Reporter).
