Eroding trust – new worries for public health and medical science

Nothing tests trust like a crisis. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting nearly every layer of life, trust in public health officials and medical experts has been challenged. Heated debates over the severity of the COVID-19 and adequacy of government measures have threatened the effectiveness of public health policies. According to a study from 2021, scepticism reduced compliance with COVID-19 shelter-in-place guidelines.² Anti-vax groups emerged, unwilling to follow restrictions or vaccination recommendations. Often, such sceptics showed wider disagreement with official plans to mitigate the crisis, in turn hindering the efforts to control the pandemic.

Crises come and go, but feelings of distrust can persist. Ongoing lack of trust in medical science can undermine efforts to contain infectious and other preventative diseases. For instance, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the 10 main threats to global health.³ Caution has been on the rise since the early 2000s due to the public debate that developed surrounding a (since retracted) publication suggesting a link between the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. Consequently, measles has seen a 30% increase in cases globally, and some countries that were close to eliminating the disease have instead seen a resurgence.

Societies with a high level of mistrust in experts and institutions may well be less equipped to tackle possible future health challenges, creating down-side risk for people’s health, and the economy.⁴ Rejection of evidencebased medicine and scepticism around the science that underpins it can spark resistance to timely treatment or prevention. Fallout from such mistrust can also negatively affect preparedness and resilience in future crises.

As faith in current public health systems is undermined, it may boost attractiveness of alternative healthcare approaches not underpinned by science. These trends are being exacerbated by growing reliance on social media as a news source. In the latest pandemic, for instance, the internet became rife with dubious approaches to treat COVID-19, including off-label use of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin, the side effects of which resulted in severe health issues and in extreme cases, even death.⁵

On the other hand, social media can also be beneficial when used as a tool to engage society and distribute important information from government or public health institutions. Transparent communication and concise language in dialogue could create better acceptance of crisis management at national level. Insurers can also play an integral part in this process as a partner to health institutions and individuals. The role of insurers in pricing risk and providing risk information is vitally important in strengthening resilience against future health crises.