Infodemic and Pharmacists

Journalist | Ha Neul Roh | skyroh0416@yonsei.ac.kr

Designer | Jin Yeong Kim | kimjin02000@yonsei.ac.kr

In recent years, along with the rapidly growing information technology industry, people can easily access information in many fields. This is true of the medical field as well. Accessing a lot of information easily may seem to be good on one hand, but without the ability to understand and analyze the information accurately, it can be rather poisonous. Then why are people deceived by fake news? Some may think that being deceived by fake news is just because they are foolish, but actually, that is not true. The reason why people are deceived can be explained by psychology and communication studies. According to the “Truth-default Theory”, we tend to believe that the information others say is true. It is not because people are nice, but because of the efficiency of communication. It is easy to understand the reality of the object once you recognize the idea or information you first heard from someone as true. It is quite inefficient and tiring to verify every piece of information you encounter for the first time. This theory works because it brings efficiency to communication and many people are actually honest. Also, it is easier to be deceived if multiple pieces of information are poured out at once. This is because the more you are distracted, the less you can afford to recognize the truth. Even if you know in advance that it is a lie, overload with cognition or external pressure limits you to making improper decisions.

The most recent case in this regard can be found in the COVID-19 vaccine. When the COVID-19 vaccine was first released, various fake news was rampant. At a rally against COVID-19 vaccination, a gynecologist said, “I looked at the vaccine ingredients under a microscope. Something strange was there with hair on the head and tail.” He claimed that there were unknown microorganisms in the vaccine. As such, some medical professionals came forward and expressed distrust of vaccines. Since the person who claimed this opinion was a doctor, such claims quickly spread around online. In addition, conspiracy theories about vaccines spread indiscriminately through SNS. Also, a large number of articles have been presented in some online communities, such as “fewer mosquito bites after vaccination” or “vaccinated people cannot donate blood.” However, these claims were mostly just groundless speculation. In response, the COVID-10 Vaccination Response Promotion Team said that they would respond strictly to the spread of fake news and explained that they are cooperating with Korea Communications Commission and the Cyber Investigation Unit.

Another case was a case about the anti-cancer effect of animal anthelmintics. This has been controversial after a video clip that Joe Tippens (62, male), a terminal lung cancer patient in the U.S. in 2019, was reported to have been completely cured after taking fenbendazole. Fenbendazole is used as animal anthelmintics especially for dogs. At the time of 2019, the National Cancer Center in Korea decided that it was “impossible” to promote clinical trials on the effectiveness of chemotherapy in humans for “fenbendazole.” The news about fenbendazole and its anti-cancer effect rapidly spread around the world through SNS, and other online platforms. In Korea, a comedian Chulmin Kim, who was suffering from lung cancer, also opened a channel on YouTube to film and upload videos with open clinical trial contents while taking fenbendazole for more than a month. At that time, Chulmin Kim claimed that the pain caused by lung cancer was reduced while taking fenbendazole.

Fenbendazole is said to have been used in animals for more than 40 years. But suddenly, starting in 2019, there have been claims on the internet such as YouTube that it has anti-cancer effects. The person claims that it has an anti-cancer effect believes that anthelmintic has an anti-cancer effect because it has a mechanism to suppress the intracellular organs that make up the skeleton of the cancer cells. Also, some online contents claimed that “it is a safe drug which has been used for 40 years” and “it is safe because the absorption rate in the body is as low as 20 percent.” However, the FDA has refuted online claims that long-term effects have not been reported in humans because it has been used only for “animals ” for more than 40 years, and that low-absorption anticancer drugs need specialized research on dosage control because their toxicity increases as the dose increases.

Since SNS and online platforms are activated like this, the speed at which fake news spreads is so fast that people are not able to control it. However, fake news related to medicine should be judged more carefully as it is directly related to human health and life. As medical professionals, people such as doctors, pharmacists, and nurses should work hard to convey information on the accuracy of knowledge. B