World’s physicians call for urgent global action against false health information

Rotterdam, the Netherlands – October 2026 – The World Medical Association (WMA) has adopted a new Statement on Addressing False Health Information at its 77th General Assembly in Rotterdam. The policy warns that inaccurate health claims, spreading rapidly on social media and increasingly generated by artificial intelligence, are a serious threat to patient safety and public health worldwide.

False health claims can lead people to reject effective treatments, delay or abandon needed care, or adopt harmful practices. They can also undermine vaccination efforts and erode trust in physicians. Marginalised communities are often the most affected due to limited access to reliable health information.

“Physicians have an ethical duty to provide accurate, evidence-based health information,” says Dr. Jung Yul Park, WMA President. “But that trusted voice is increasingly competing with a flood of false and misleading content online, particularly on social media. With AI now able to produce convincing medical deepfakes at scale, this is a global threat to patient safety and public trust that demands an urgent, coordinated international response.”

The statement draws a clear line between false information and legitimate scientific debate: physicians may hold views that differ from consensus, provided they act in good faith and are transparent about the evidence and its uncertainties.

The statement calls on physicians to give evidence-based advice and correct false claims they encounter, and on medical associations to promote health literacy and ensure licensing bodies can act against professionals who deliberately spread falsehoods. It urges governments to require platforms to remove harmful content and medical deepfakes quickly and to curb financial incentives for spreading false information. Social media, search engines and AI companies are asked to strengthen moderation and stop algorithms from amplifying false health content.