The Consequences of Public Health Misinformation

MANILA, PHILIPPINES, May 13, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has today released a position statement, warning that misinformation is putting millions of lives at risk and undermining global public health efforts.

CAPHRA’s analysis reveals that persistent misinformation around nicotine is drowning out mounting scientific evidence supporting tobacco harm reduction. Countries such as the UK and New Zealand, which have embraced evidence-based approaches, are seeing significant declines in smoking rates-yet, according to CAPHRA, much of the world remains gripped by outdated ideology.

“The scale of misinformation about safer nicotine products is staggering and deliberate. It is costing lives by discouraging smokers from switching to less harmful alternatives,” said Clarisse Virgino, CAPHRA Philippine Representative. “Ideological opposition is being prioritised over science, and the public is paying the price.”

CAPHRA’s statement highlights that, despite robust evidence showing vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, global health agencies continue to mislead the public about the risks. Loucas criticised the World Health Organisation for “ignoring the science and silencing consumer voices,” arguing that this approach perpetuates the deadly smoking epidemic.

“The refusal to acknowledge the benefits of harm reduction is not just misguided-it’s dangerous. Public health policy should be based on facts, not fear or coercion,” Loucas said.

CAPHRA is calling on governments and health authorities to embrace transparency and evidence, and to recognise harm reduction as a vital tool in the fight against smoking-related disease. “We need pragmatic solutions, not ideological warfare. The stakes are simply too high,” Loucas concluded.

For to access the full position paper: http://bit.ly/3EZEVDp

N. E. Loucas
Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates
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