Rebuilding trust in public health and medicine in a time of declining trust in science.

Trust in public health and medical practitioners has declined since COVID-19. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, poor communication by medical and public health professionals coincident with the rise of social media enabled unverified, often erroneous information to spread quickly and widely. Providing accurate, fact-based information is imperative to save lives and promote health. Using a robust, evidence-based approach to tracking the spread of information and partnering with trusted messengers, states can take a leadership role in combatting misinformation and safeguarding the public's health.