How misinformation can fuel epidemics – and what we can do about it
Even when only a fraction of the population is exposed to them, false and misleading claims can dramatically amplify disease spread, research suggests.
- 20 October 2025
- 3 min read
- by Linda Geddes
In this digital era, information moves faster than any virus – and so does misinformation. Now researchers have shown how even when only a fraction of the population is misinformed, this can alter the trajectory of a disease outbreak. That’s because misinformation lingers longer than accurate facts and encourages risky behaviour. However, the researchers say that emotionally resonant, widely shared public health messages could help to turn the tide against this growing threat.
How does misinformation alter disease outbreaks?
The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated how the spread of misinformation about unverified treatments, speculative ideas and conspiracies can erode trust in science and health authorities, leading people to disregard expert guidance and take actions that put themselves and other people at risk.
To better understand this phenomenon, Dr Alejandro Bernardin and Dr Tomas Perez-Acle at San Sebastián University in Santiago, Chile, built a model that tracks the spread of disease through a population, while also considering how the dissemination of accurate information and misinformation shape people’s behaviours.
Unlike previous studies, this model also accounted for the fact that people gradually forget or stop acting on information over time, meaning the influence of both accurate guidance and misinformation gradually fades.
They applied this model to Ebola virus disease, selected for its high mortality rate and its tendency to provoke strong social and behavioural responses – from panic and discrimination against healthcare workers to strict public policies and widespread scepticism of scientific advice – which are often magnified by media coverage and political rhetoric.
How powerful is misinformation?
The research, published in Scientific Reports, found that even small amounts of misinformation could greatly increase the spread of disease by encouraging risky behaviours, such as ignoring health advice or taking actions that promoted viral transmission. In contrast, accurate information helped to limit outbreaks by promoting protective behaviours – although its effectiveness depended on how widely it spread and how long it continued to influence people’s behaviour.
“Our findings suggest that misinformation can significantly alter the course of an infectious disease’s spread, amplifying its impact on populations even with minimal exposure,” the researchers said. “This phenomenon adds an extra, challenging layer of complexity to the already formidable task of containing epidemics.”
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How can we fight misinformation better?
Given the difficulty of countering misinformation, they suggested that public health messages could benefit from using some of the same techniques that make misinformation so effective – such as engaging people emotionally.
By doing so, accurate information is more likely to be noticed, remembered and acted upon for longer, reducing the spread of disease.
Overall, “our work signals the dire consequences of misinformation, urging the adoption of sophisticated communication strategies to enhance factual information spread and fortify societal defenses against both misinformation and infectious diseases,” Bernardin and Perez-Acle wrote.
“As the global community braces for future pandemics, it becomes imperative to expand upon these findings, crafting innovative strategies to protect public health against the twin threats of disease and misinformation.”
