Indian actress 'dies' for a day - 26th February 2024

An Instagram story said that an Indian actress had died of cervical cancer. Many people believed it. Reporters shared the news on TV and news websites.

The next day, Poonam Pandey said that she'd faked her own death. She wanted more people to learn about the disease.

Cervical cancer causes 77,000 women's deaths in India each year. It's called a 'silent killer'. This is because early signs of the disease are hard to notice. But a vaccine's available against the HPV virus (human papillomavirus). This causes most cervical cancer.

It's possible that the Indian government knew about Pandey's plan. The country's just started an HPV vaccine programme. It wants all girls who are between 9 and 14 to have the vaccine.

Some people think that Pandey's story started an important discussion. This could reduce the number of deaths. But others say that it was cruel. They think that Pandey just wants money and followers.

The company that plans Pandey's social media said sorry. Reporters who hadn't checked the facts for themselves also had a problem.

Cervical cancer searches have increased on Google. But should people lie on social media for this to happen?