Health in the age of disinformation: Protecting truth, protecting democracy
A doctor in Austria takes his fight to the European Court of Human Rights, the legal arm of the Council of Europe. He claims his country violated his freedom of expression by disciplining him for statements on his medical practice website – a place patients turn to with trust – that vaccines never protect against disease and no illness has ever been eradicated by them.
The Court disagrees, ruling that even in public health debates, freedom of expression has limits when lives are at risk – and that the sanction was necessary in a democratic society.
Health protection, trust and the fabric of democracy
In a democracy, trust is not a luxury – it is the fabric that holds society together. And when it comes to health, it can mean the difference between lives saved and lives lost.
Democracy, human rights and the rule of law guide the work of the Council of Europe. These values form the foundation of health protection as a human right, enshrined in our European Social Charter and reinforced through our court’s case law.
They also underpin our proposed New Democratic Pact for Europe – a call to make democracy tangible in people’s daily lives by restoring trust, countering disinformation and ensuring equal access to rights, including the right to health.
But disinformation erodes this foundation. We saw it during Covid-19: fear, isolation and online echo chambers helped falsehoods about the virus and its prevention spread faster than facts – polarising societies, undermining science and weakening democratic debate.
A broader threat
Disinformation is not the only fracture line. Climate change is already claiming lives. Pandemics expose systemic weaknesses. And as seen in Gaza, health services are targeted in conflicts.
In this environment, health is a measure of democratic resilience – and when it is weakened, trust in both health systems and public institutions suffers.
Too often, the communities hit hardest by disinformation are those already facing barriers to care – whether through poverty, geography or discrimination. Closing these gaps is a democratic necessity. There is no room for double standards – not when some enjoy world-class health care while others are left behind.
Perhaps the fastest-moving challenge comes from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. AI holds enormous potential for diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Yet it also carries serious ethical risks – from bias in healthcare algorithms to the mass spread of AI-generated health disinformation, with direct implications for human rights and dignity.
A convention on disinformation
Europe cannot surrender the public sphere to algorithms. That is why I have called for a new Council of Europe Convention on Disinformation and Foreign Influence – to draw clear boundaries between freedom of expression and the imperative for truth, and between legitimate critique and deliberate destabilisation.
A health dimension must be integral to this work. False claims about vaccines, medicines, reproductive health or environmental risks cost lives, deepen inequality and are often weaponised to polarise societies. Addressing health disinformation at this level would protect public health, and the democratic systems it sustains.
From principles to action
At the Council of Europe, we act on multiple fronts:
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Health Care ensures the quality and safety of medicines through international standards and supports countries in pharmaceutical care, substances of human origin and consumer health.
The MEDICRIME Convention – the first binding international instrument in the criminal law field on the counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health – helps states prevent, detect and punish the spread of falsified medicines and fraudulent treatments, including those sold online.
The Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine – the only international legally binding instrument on the protection of human rights in the biomedical field – contributes to building healthcare systems that are effective, high-quality, equitable and accessible for all.
The European Court of Human Rights has improved the situation of vulnerable groups – from women subjected to forced sterilisation to people with mental health issues placed in institutions without their consent.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Council of Europe supported governments in addressing erroneous and misleading information about vaccines, ensuring the public could access accurate information in timely and accessible ways.
Because the natural environment significantly affects health, our conventions protect biodiversity and fight environmental degradation, safeguarding both physical and mental well-being.
These are only some examples of how the Council of Europe turns values into action across our 46 member states.
Forward together
Health in the age of disinformation is a test of our democratic values.
In a fractured world, protecting health means protecting truth. And without truth, democracy itself is at risk.
The Council of Europe will continue to draw on its unique legal standards, expertise and institutional authority to meet this challenge – not as a single-issue fight, but as part of a broader mission to protect human dignity in all its forms.
By protecting health together, we strengthen the very fabric of democracy – in Europe and beyond.
