Strengthening the Philippines’ capacity to understand and improve its health information landscape for emergency response

^{A group works together to assess one of the information domains, identifying how health messages are shared and understood in different community settings. ©NCCTRC}

As health information spreads faster both online and offline, communities are increasingly exposed to both reliable public health advice and misleading and potentially harmful content. This has become a growing public health concern, as false information causes confusion, shapes risk perceptions, influences behaviour, and affects how people access health services.

Infodemics happen when there is too much information, including false or misleading information, in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak. They lead to mistrust in health authorities and undermine the public health response. When people are unsure about what they need to do to protect their health and the health of people around them, this can intensify or lengthen outbreaks.

Infodemic management is the systematic use of risk- and evidence-based analysis and approaches to manage an infodemic and reduce its impact on health behaviours during health emergencies.

The Philippines, like other countries, has faced such challenges. In 2025, false online reports alleging an international health concern linked to multiple respiratory infections prompted the Department of Health (DOH) to issue a public clarification to counter misinformation. The incident highlighted the importance of timely, coordinated Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) and infodemic management to ensure accurate and trusted health information reaches communities.

^{Teams from the DOH, WHO, and the NCCTRC gather for a group photo at the workshop. ©NCCTRC}

Thanks to support from the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework , from November to December 2025, communications and emergency response experts from the Philippine DOH undertook Social Web training. Led by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific and Philippines country office, and facilitated by the PHOENIX team (Public Health Operations in Emergencies for National Strengthening in the Indo-Pacific) from Australia’s National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC), the training builds skills, knowledge and systems for infodemic management. As part of the second module of the training, DOH participants conducted an Information Environment Assessment (IEA) and undertook an Introductory training-of-trainers (ToT) course, enabling them to train additional colleagues and community members, supporting sustainable national capacity.

Developed by WHO in 2025, with the support of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Information Environment Assessment tool is designed to strengthen government capacity to understand and analyse information flows and enable strategic, evidence-based responses to misinformation. Piloted in Sri Lanka and Thailand, the Philippines is the first country in the Western Pacific to conduct an IEA.

^{Participants join a session introducing the Information Environment Assessment (IEA) and its role in understanding how health information flows. ©WHO}

Participants in the Philippine training were introduced to how information systems function, and various tools that they can leverage to better understand how online and offline narratives influence public perceptions and behaviours. Building on this foundation, those who took the IEA module focused on analysing how health information is created, accessed, interpreted, and shared across communities.

The IEA focused in particular on key factors that shape the vaccine information environment in the Philippines. This includes strong reliance on digital and broadcast media, the influence of cultural beliefs on message uptake, and the central role of community health workers. It also considered gaps between policy and systems, such as limited fact-checking capacity and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. These insights informed the development of an initial IEA report, which includes 21 priority actions to strengthen immunization communication in the country. Participants recognized that the completed IEA could quickly be adapted to other emergencies.

Reflections from participants highlighted the value of the exercise, with one noting that “it revealed a lot of blind spots when it comes to dealing with information flows in the community.”

Participants deliver a presentation on specific health topics during the Training of Trainers session. ©NCCTRC

To ensure the sustainability and wider application of the IEA, the ToT focused on preparing DOH teams as future infodemic management trainers. Participants practiced tailoring and delivering health messages on priority issues to specific target audiences through applied exercises. Through this approach, participants were equipped with the skills to pass on knowledge gained, including how to conduct an IEA at subnational level.

The completed IEA report now provides a national baseline for strengthening the country’s information environment and guiding future RCCE and infodemic management strategies. Building on this momentum, WHO and DOH will work closely to embed these approaches in routine systems and advance long-term community resilience and health security.

Current Approaches to and Implementation of Information Environment Assessments in the Context of Public Health: Rapid Review provides further insight into how Information Environment Assessments have been applied in public health settings and is freely available online.