Health secretary Matt Hancock has said that positive messages about the benefits of vaccinations must be promoted in a bid to stop the spread of misinformation.

Speaking at a parliamentary event about vaccinations and their role in fighting antimicrobial resistance Mr Hancock said that he did not want to give any “credence” to the “anti-vaxxers”, who spread junk science about immunisation.

“We have to make sure communications around vaccinations are always positive and about the positive value of vaccines, rather than engage in debate which only improves the chances of [false] claims,” said Mr Hancock.

There has been growing concern over recent months of the spread of anti-vaccine messages – with the World Health Organization identifying “vaccine hesitancy” as one of the 10 biggest threats to health.

Social media – and Facebook in particular – has been singled out for failing to clamp down on harmful messages discouraging parents from vaccinating their children against potentially fatal diseases. Vaccine hesitancy is seen as one reason for an explosion in the number of measles cases in Europe and outbreaks in the United States, Japan and the Philippines.