Russian disinformation and the measles surge in Greece

According to recent reports from international health experts, Europe is currently experiencing a 20-year high in measles cases, including in many countries where it had been mostly eradicated. Within the European Union, Greece has been hit the worst. The primary reason, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is "vaccine hesitancy." This is listed as one of the WHO's top 10 global health threats for 2019. According to the WHO, "vaccine hesitancy" is defined as the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines.

The causes of vaccine hesitancy are multifaceted, but a major factor is the influence of news media and social media, in particular the role of bots and trolls in spreading disinformation about vaccines.

According to the recent study "Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter Bots and Russian Trolls Amplify the Vaccine Debate,...