The Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Mrs Vivianne Ihekweazu, has said that the digital transformation of health communication is reshaping how people access and trust medical information.
She made the remark during a panel discussion at the World Health Summit (WHS) Regional Meeting 2026, which opened via webinar on Monday in Nairobi, Kenya.
The session, themed “Trust in Science in the Age of Digital Health”, focused on how digital health, artificial intelligence, and technological innovations are transforming global health systems.
The panel was convened by the Nature Medicine Commission on Quality Health Information for All, in partnership with Aga Khan University. It brought together global leaders from science, policy, media, and healthcare.
Ihekweazu noted that health information has shifted from a traditional system controlled by legacy media, academic journals, researchers, and health institutions to a digital ecosystem dominated by social media platforms.
“This shift has greatly expanded access to health information, especially for rural and underserved populations. However, it has also accelerated the spread of unverified and misleading content,” she said.
“Social media has democratised access to health information but has removed many of the filters that ensured accuracy and context. Information now spreads faster, is more visual, and is often consumed in short, fragmented formats like infographics and videos.”
She added that the speed and simplicity of digital content often strip away important medical context, making it easier for misinformation to influence public behaviour before corrections can be made.
Citing vaccine hesitancy as an example, Ihekweazu observed that online narratives sometimes outweigh professional medical advice.
“In some cases, people are now making critical health decisions based on online content rather than guidance from trained health professionals,” she said.
She described the current information environment as a growing trade-off between access and trust.
“While access to health information has increased, we are also witnessing reduced context, rising misinformation, and declining trust in health systems and expertise,” she added.
Ihekweazu noted that modern audiences prefer clear, simple communication over technical explanations.
“What people want to know is straightforward: what is happening, why it matters, and how they can access help,” she said.
Also speaking, Prof. Rebecca Ivic, Professor of Health Communication and Associate Dean of Research at the College of Communication and Information Sciences, said the Nature Medicine Commission is developing a set of Health Information Quality Indicators.
She explained that the indicators aim to create a global, evidence-based framework for assessing the quality and reliability of health information in the digital age.
Ivic also highlighted ongoing research using social and policy data, including Reddit discussions, vaccine-related discourse on X, and global datasets from the World Bank Group and Afrobarometer.
Dr Özge Tunçalp, a physician and epidemiologist, noted that digital technologies and artificial intelligence are now deeply embedded in daily life, shaping how health information is created, shared, and interpreted.
She warned that the challenge goes beyond misinformation and disinformation, pointing to broader systems-level risks if not properly addressed.
Dr Nancy Booker, Professor of Media and Communications at the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications, highlighted a new initiative called the “Six Minutes of Health” podcast. Developed with a hospital partner, the podcast delivers concise, evidence-based health information for busy audiences.
Booker emphasised the need for multidisciplinary collaboration and context-specific approaches, noting that what works in one setting may not be effective in another, especially in communities where culture and religion strongly influence health behaviours.
Dr Jacqueline Kitulu, President of the World Medical Association, stressed that technology must support, not replace, clinical judgment.
“Clinicians must actively engage with and critically assess emerging tools to ensure they are safe, ethical, and free from bias,” she said.
The World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026, hosted by Aga Khan University, is holding in East Africa for the second time under the theme “Reimagining Africa’s Health Systems: Innovation, Integration, and Interdependence”.
The meeting features plenaries, ministerial roundtables, technical sessions, youth forums, and community dialogues. It is supported by the Africa CDC and the WHO African Region.
Organisers said the summit comes at a critical time as African health systems face both emerging threats and long-standing structural challenges. The gathering aims to amplify Africa’s voice in global health governance and produce actionable frameworks for stronger health systems, improved domestic financing, and African-led innovations.
