The Health Ministry is establishing an Office for the Detection and Management of Fake News on Public Health Issues, with its headquarters at the National Public Health Organization (EODY).
The move comes in response to the "serious threat of misinformation" regarding vaccines and general health, particularly surrounding what the ministry calls the "new pandemic" of fake news, as described by the World Health Organization.
Deputy Health Minister Eirini Agapidaki announced the initiative, stating the new office will be a permanent mechanism for monitoring, analysis, and timely information.
She said its mission is to identify, evaluate and counter in a scientifically documented way the false news circulating about health, vaccines, and preventive interventions.
EODY will also issue a weekly bulletin identifying fake news to accompany its regular epidemiological report, providing documented answers to health professionals, journalists, pharmacists, doctors and the public.
According to Agapidaki, this will "enhance transparency, protect public dialogue, and promote the health literacy of the population."
Recent false reports highlighted by the ministry include the claims that a South Korean study linked Covid-19 vaccines to cancer - a claim dismissed for "serious methodological errors" and conflicting official data -and that Japan had banned mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, which "never happened."
The Patients' Association of Greece welcomed the news, citing 2022 research that revealed significant gaps in citizens' ability to assess health information.
The study found that nearly one in two citizens struggles to judge the reliability of health information presented in the media.
Health