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Lee JW, Yoo IS, Kim JH, Kim WT, Jeon HJ, Yoo HS, Shin JG, Kim GH, Hwang S, Park S, Kim YJ. Development of AI-generated medical responses using the ChatGPT for cancer patients. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2024; 254:108302. [PMID: 38996805 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2024.108302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To develop a healthcare chatbot service (AI-guided bot) that conducts real-time conversations using large language models to provide accurate health information to patients. METHODS To provide accurate and specialized medical responses, we integrated several cancer practice guidelines. The size of the integrated meta-dataset was 1.17 million tokens. The integrated and classified metadata were extracted, transformed into text, segmented to specific character lengths, and vectorized using the embedding model. The AI-guide bot was implemented using Python 3.9. To enhance the scalability and incorporate the integrated dataset, we combined the AI-guide bot with OpenAI and the LangChain framework. To generate user-friendly conversations, a language model was developed based on Chat-Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT), an interactive conversational chatbot powered by GPT-3.5. The AI-guide bot was implemented using ChatGPT3.5 from Sep. 2023 to Jan. 2024. RESULTS The AI-guide bot allowed users to select their desired cancer type and language for conversational interactions. The AI-guided bot was designed to expand its capabilities to encompass multiple major cancer types. The performance of the AI-guide bot responses was 90.98 ± 4.02 (obtained by summing up the Likert scores). CONCLUSIONS The AI-guide bot can provide medical information quickly and accurately to patients with cancer who are concerned about their health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae-Woo Lee
- Department of Family Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Family Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - In-Sang Yoo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Hye Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Won Tae Kim
- Department of Urology, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Urology, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do 28644, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jeong Jeon
- Department of Internal Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo-Sun Yoo
- Department of Family Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Gwang Shin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Geun-Hyeong Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - ShinJi Hwang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Park
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-June Kim
- Department of Urology, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; Department of Urology, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do 28644, Republic of Korea.
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Tao R, Kim SJ, Lu L, Kang J, McLeod D. Fighting Fire or Fighting War: Examining the Framing Effects of COVID-19 Metaphors. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2024; 39:2026-2040. [PMID: 37661328 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2023.2253398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Metaphorical language describing the COVID-19 pandemic as a war has been pervasive in public discourse (e.g. "the pandemic is a war," "the virus is an enemy," and "the vaccine is a weapon"). This study employs an online survey experiment (N = 551 U.S. adults) to examine the impact of war metaphors compared to non-metaphorical literal frames and fire metaphors (e.g. "the pandemic is a wildfire"). War metaphors exhibited little advantage over literal frames across a variety of desirable outcomes (i.e. the adoption of pro-health behaviors against COVID-19, perceived solidarity and collective responsibility to curb the pandemic, and intentions to discuss and share the health news with others). However, this study revealed some benefits of war metaphors over fire metaphors. Compared with fire metaphors, health news featuring war metaphors increased both positive emotions and perceived threats of COVID-19, which in turn promoted pro-health behaviors against COVID-19 and perceived solidarity to cope with the public health crisis. Moreover, positive emotions in response to war metaphors also indirectly encouraged the retransmission of science-based COVID-19 health news. This study thus showcased the benefits and limitations of war metaphors and revealed the mediating roles of perceived threats and positive emotions in explaining war metaphorical framing effects. Implications of using war and fire metaphors for communicating about public health crises are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Tao
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - Sang Jung Kim
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Iowa
| | - Linqi Lu
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - Jiwon Kang
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - Douglas McLeod
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Germani F, Spitale G, Machiri SV, Ho CWL, Ballalai I, Biller-Andorno N, Reis AA. Ethical Considerations in Infodemic Management: Systematic Scoping Review. JMIR INFODEMIOLOGY 2024; 4:e56307. [PMID: 39208420 PMCID: PMC11393515 DOI: 10.2196/56307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND During health emergencies, effective infodemic management has become a paramount challenge. A new era marked by a rapidly changing information ecosystem, combined with the widespread dissemination of misinformation and disinformation, has magnified the complexity of the issue. For infodemic management measures to be effective, acceptable, and trustworthy, a robust framework of ethical considerations is needed. OBJECTIVE This systematic scoping review aims to identify and analyze ethical considerations and procedural principles relevant to infodemic management, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of these practices and increasing trust in stakeholders performing infodemic management practices with the goal of safeguarding public health. METHODS The review involved a comprehensive examination of the literature related to ethical considerations in infodemic management from 2002 to 2022, drawing from publications in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Policy documents and relevant material were included in the search strategy. Papers were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria, and core thematic areas were systematically identified and categorized following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. We analyzed the literature to identify substantive ethical principles that were crucial for guiding actions in the realms of infodemic management and social listening, as well as related procedural ethical principles. In this review, we consider ethical principles that are extensively deliberated upon in the literature, such as equity, justice, or respect for autonomy. However, we acknowledge the existence and relevance of procedural practices, which we also consider as ethical principles or practices that, when implemented, enhance the efficacy of infodemic management while ensuring the respect of substantive ethical principles. RESULTS Drawing from 103 publications, the review yielded several key findings related to ethical principles, approaches, and guidelines for practice in the context of infodemic management. Community engagement, empowerment through education, and inclusivity emerged as procedural principles and practices that enhance the quality and effectiveness of communication and social listening efforts, fostering trust, a key emerging theme and crucial ethical principle. The review also emphasized the significance of transparency, privacy, and cybersecurity in data collection. CONCLUSIONS This review underscores the pivotal role of ethics in bolstering the efficacy of infodemic management. From the analyzed body of literature, it becomes evident that ethical considerations serve as essential instruments for cultivating trust and credibility while also facilitating the medium-term and long-term viability of infodemic management approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Germani
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni Spitale
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Varaidzo Machiri
- Unit for High Impact Events Preparedness, Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization, Genève, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Nikola Biller-Andorno
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Alois Reis
- Health Ethics and Governance Unit, Department of Research for Health, World Health Organization, Genève, Switzerland
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Sangiorgio E, Cinelli M, Cerqueti R, Quattrociocchi W. Followers do not dictate the virality of news outlets on social media. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae257. [PMID: 38988972 PMCID: PMC11235336 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Initially conceived for entertainment, social media platforms have profoundly transformed the dissemination of information and consequently reshaped the dynamics of agenda-setting. In this scenario, understanding the factors that capture audience attention and drive viral content is crucial. Employing Gibrat's Law, which posits that an entity's growth rate is unrelated to its size, we examine the engagement growth dynamics of news outlets on social media. Our analysis includes the Facebook historical data of over a thousand news outlets, encompassing approximately 57 million posts in four European languages from 2008 to the end of 2022. We discover universal growth dynamics according to which news virality is independent of the traditional size of the outlet. Moreover, our analysis reveals a significant long-term impact of news source reliability on engagement growth, with engagement induced by unreliable sources decreasing over time. We conclude the article by presenting a statistical model replicating the observed growth dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Sangiorgio
- Department of Social Sciences and Economics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Matteo Cinelli
- Department of Computer Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Roy Cerqueti
- Department of Social Sciences and Economics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00185, Italy
- GRANEM, Université d’Angers, SFR Confluences, Angers F-49000, France
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Okuhara T, Terada M, Okada H, Kiuchi T. Experiences of Governments and Public Health Agencies Regarding Crisis Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Digital Age: Protocol for a Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies. JMIR Res Protoc 2024; 13:e58040. [PMID: 38935414 PMCID: PMC11240069 DOI: 10.2196/58040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Governments and public health agencies worldwide experienced difficulties with social media-mediated infodemics on the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing public health crisis communication strategies need to be updated. However, crisis communication experiences of governments and public health agencies worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been systematically compiled, necessitating updated crisis communication strategies. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aims to collect and organize the crisis communication experiences of senders (ie, governments and public health agencies) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our focus is on exploring the difficulties that governments and public health agencies experienced, best practices in crisis communication by governments and public health agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic in times of infodemic, and challenges that should be overcome in future public health crises. METHODS We plan to begin the literature search on May 1, 2024. We will search PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Communication Abstracts, and Web of Science. We will filter our database searches to search from the year 2020 and beyond. We will use a combination of keywords by referring to the SPIDER (Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, and Research type) tool to search the abstracts in databases. We intend to include qualitative studies on crisis communication by governments and public health agencies (eg, officials, staff, health professionals, and researchers) to the public. Quantitative data-based studies will be excluded. Only papers written in English will be included. Data on study characteristics, study aim, participant characteristics, methodology, theoretical framework, object of crisis communication, and key results will be extracted. The methodological quality of eligible studies will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for qualitative research. A total of 2 independent reviewers will share responsibility for screening publications, data extraction, and quality assessment. Disagreement will be resolved through discussion, and the third reviewer will be consulted, if necessary. The findings will be summarized in a table and a conceptual diagram and synthesized in a descriptive and narrative review. RESULTS The results will be systematically integrated and presented in a way that corresponds to our research objectives and interests. We expect the results of this review to be submitted for publication by the end of 2024. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this will be the first systematic review of the experiences of governments and public health agencies regarding their crisis communication to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review will contribute to the future improvement of the guidelines for crisis communication by governments and public health agencies to the public. TRIAL REGISTRATION PROSPERO CRD42024528975; https://tinyurl.com/4fjmd8te. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/58040.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Okuhara
- Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Marina Terada
- Department of Health Communication, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroko Okada
- Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takahiro Kiuchi
- Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Ishizumi A, Kolis J, Abad N, Prybylski D, Brookmeyer KA, Voegeli C, Wardle C, Chiou H. Beyond misinformation: developing a public health prevention framework for managing information ecosystems. Lancet Public Health 2024; 9:e397-e406. [PMID: 38648815 PMCID: PMC11369959 DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(24)00031-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how infodemics (defined as an overabundance of information, including misinformation and disinformation) pose a threat to public health and could hinder individuals from making informed health decisions. Although public health authorities and other stakeholders have implemented measures for managing infodemics, existing frameworks for infodemic management have been primarily focused on responding to acute health emergencies rather than integrated in routine service delivery. We review the evidence and propose a framework for infodemic management that encompasses upstream strategies and provides guidance on identifying different interventions, informed by the four levels of prevention in public health: primary, secondary, tertiary, and primordial prevention. On the basis of a narrative review of 54 documents (peer-reviewed and grey literature published from 1961 to 2023), we present examples of interventions that belong to each level of prevention. Adopting this framework requires proactive prevention and response through managing information ecosystems, beyond reacting to misinformation or disinformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsuyoshi Ishizumi
- Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, GA, USA; US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jessica Kolis
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Neetu Abad
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Claire Wardle
- School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Howard Chiou
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Commissioned Corps, US Public Health Service, Rockville, MD, USA
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Iskandar K, Rahme D, Salameh P, Haddad C, Sacre H, Bahlol M, Darwish RM, El Khatib S, Safwan J, Sakr F, Rahhal M, Hosseini H, Cherfane M. Evaluating the influence of a 3-min online video on the community knowledge of stroke in four Arab countries. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1342490. [PMID: 38841682 PMCID: PMC11151891 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1342490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Studies from developed and developing countries showed that the knowledge levels of stroke need improvement. Educational campaigns varied and were of limited influence predominantly because of their short duration and the need for financial support. The study aims to test the impact of a 3-min online video on the knowledge of stroke and factors influencing the knowledge score in four Arab countries. Methods A cross-sectional web-based pre-post study was conducted in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. The data were collected using the snowball technique. Participants were adults aged 18 years and above. The questionnaire sequence was conducting a pretest, followed by the educational video explaining stroke occurrence, types, risks, warning signs, preventive measures, and treatment, and finally, a posttest to evaluate the differences in knowledge from baseline. Statistical analysis included paired t-tests comparing pre-post-education stroke knowledge scores, while repeated measures ANOVA, adjusting for covariates, assessed mean changes. Results The total number of participants was 2,721, mainly younger than 55 years. The majority had a university degree and were not healthcare professionals. A significant improvement was noted in the total knowledge score in all countries from a mean average (Mpretest = 21.11; Mposttest = 23.70) with p < 0.001. Identification of the stroke risks (Mpretest = 7.40; Mposttest = 8.75) and warning signs (Mpretest = 4.19; Mposttest = 4.94), understanding the preventive measures (Mpretest = 5.27; Mposttest = 5.39) and the importance of acting fast (Mpretest = 0.82; Mposttest = 0.85) improved from baseline with (p < 0.001) for all score components. Conclusion The educational tool successfully enhanced public understanding of stroke risks, the identification of stroke signs, and the critical need for emergency action. The advantages of this video include its short length, free online access, use of evidence-based content in lay language, and reflective images. The ultimate goal remains the long-term improvement of sustainability by mandating full-scale trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia Iskandar
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Health and Social Work, School of Public Health, Lebanese University, Fanar, Lebanon
- Higher Institute of Public Health (ISSP), Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Deema Rahme
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Pascale Salameh
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Hadat, Lebanon
| | - Chadia Haddad
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
- Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib, Lebanon
| | - Hala Sacre
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- Drug Information Center, Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon, Beirut, Egypt
- Department of Pharmaceutical management and economics, Department Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Egyptian Russian University, Badr city, Cairo governorate, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Bahlol
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Rula M. Darwish
- École Doctorale Sciences de la Vie et de la Santé, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Paris, France
| | - Sarah El Khatib
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Health and Social Work, School of Public Health, Lebanese University, Fanar, Lebanon
| | - Jihan Safwan
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Fouad Sakr
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- École Doctorale Sciences de la Vie et de la Santé, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Paris, France
- UMR U955 INSERM, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Université Paris-Est Créteil, Paris, France
| | - Mohamad Rahhal
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Hassan Hosseini
- INSERM U955-E01, IMRB, Henri Mondor Hospital, Créteil, France
- Department of Neurology, Henri Mondor Hospital, AP-HP, Créteil, France
| | - Michelle Cherfane
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
- Environmental and Public Health Department, College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Bouloukaki I, Christodoulakis A, Papageorgakopoulou S, Tsiligianni I. The Prevalence and Determinants of Hesitancy for Regular COVID-19 Vaccination among Primary Healthcare Patients with Asthma or COPD in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Study. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:414. [PMID: 38675796 PMCID: PMC11054093 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12040414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The emergence of novel coronavirus mutations and signs of the waning immunity provided by COVID-19 vaccines underscore the importance of regular vaccination. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of regular COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy and the factors that influence it among patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who visited primary care centers. The cross-sectional study was conducted in six primary healthcare centers in Crete, Greece (October-December 2023). Participants completed a questionnaire, which included questions about socio-demographic characteristics, health status, previous COVID-19 booster vaccination, attitudes, and beliefs about COVID-19 vaccination. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the factors that influenced vaccine hesitancy. Of the 264 participants, 65% exhibited hesitancy towards COVID-19 booster vaccination. Female gender, middle age, lower educational attainment, depression diagnosis, concerns about vaccine side effects, lack of confidence in vaccine efficacy, and reliance on media information were positively associated to vaccine hesitancy. Conversely, those having a cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes, those generally adhering to the recommendations of the treating physician, and those having previously received the flu vaccine or more than three COVID-19 vaccine doses were positively associated with regular COVID-19 vaccinations. Consequently, our findings could help develop strategies that could potentially reduce regular vaccination hesitancy among patients with asthma or COPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izolde Bouloukaki
- Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece; (A.C.); (S.P.); (I.T.)
| | - Antonios Christodoulakis
- Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece; (A.C.); (S.P.); (I.T.)
- Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Stavroula Papageorgakopoulou
- Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece; (A.C.); (S.P.); (I.T.)
| | - Ioanna Tsiligianni
- Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece; (A.C.); (S.P.); (I.T.)
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Zein MM, Arafa N, El-Shabrawi MHF, El-Koofy NM. Effect of nutrition-related infodemics and social media on maternal experience: A nationwide survey in a low/middle income country. World J Clin Pediatr 2024; 13:89139. [PMID: 38596445 PMCID: PMC11000056 DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.v13.i1.89139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Undernutrition is a crucial cause of morbidity and mortality among children in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs). A better understanding of maternal general healthy nutrition knowledge, as well as misbeliefs, is highly essential, especially in such settings. In the current era of infodemics, it is very strenuous for mothers to select not only the right source for maternal nutrition information but the correct information as well. AIM To assess maternal healthy nutritional knowledge and nutrition-related misbeliefs and misinformation in an LMIC, and to determine the sources of such information and their assessment methods. METHODS This cross-sectional analytical observational study enrolled 5148 randomly selected Egyptian mothers who had one or more children less than 15 years old. The data were collected through online questionnaire forms: One was for the general nutrition knowledge assessment, and the other was for the nutritional myth score. Sources of information and ways of evaluating internet sources using the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose test were additionally analyzed. RESULTS The mean general nutrition knowledge score was 29 ± 9, with a percent score of 70.8% ± 12.1% (total score: 41). The median myth score was 9 (interquartile range: 6, 12; total score: 18). The primary sources of nutrition knowledge for the enrolled mothers were social media platforms (55%). Half of the mothers managed information for currency and authority, except for considering the author's contact information. More than 60% regularly checked information for accuracy and purpose. The mothers with significant nutrition knowledge checked periodically for the author's contact information (P = 0.012). The nutrition myth score was significantly lower among mothers who periodically checked the evidence of the information (P = 0.016). Mothers dependent on their healthcare providers as the primary source of their general nutritional knowledge were less likely to hold myths by 13% (P = 0.044). However, using social media increased the likelihood of having myths among mothers by approximately 1.2 (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION Social media platforms were found to be the primary source of maternal nutrition information in the current era of infodemics. However, healthcare providers were the only source for decreasing the incidence of maternal myths among the surveyed mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwa M Zein
- Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 515211, Egypt
| | - Noha Arafa
- Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Children's Hospital, Kasralainy Medical School, Cairo University, Cairo 515211, Egypt
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Alipour S, Galeazzi A, Sangiorgio E, Avalle M, Bojic L, Cinelli M, Quattrociocchi W. Cross-platform social dynamics: an analysis of ChatGPT and COVID-19 vaccine conversations. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2789. [PMID: 38307909 PMCID: PMC10837143 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53124-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of social media in information dissemination and agenda-setting has significantly expanded in recent years. By offering real-time interactions, online platforms have become invaluable tools for studying societal responses to significant events as they unfold. However, online reactions to external developments are influenced by various factors, including the nature of the event and the online environment. This study examines the dynamics of public discourse on digital platforms to shed light on this issue. We analyzed over 12 million posts and news articles related to two significant events: the release of ChatGPT in 2022 and the global discussions about COVID-19 vaccines in 2021. Data was collected from multiple platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, and GDELT. We employed topic modeling techniques to uncover the distinct thematic emphases on each platform, which reflect their specific features and target audiences. Additionally, sentiment analysis revealed various public perceptions regarding the topics studied. Lastly, we compared the evolution of engagement across platforms, unveiling unique patterns for the same topic. Notably, discussions about COVID-19 vaccines spread more rapidly due to the immediacy of the subject, while discussions about ChatGPT, despite its technological importance, propagated more gradually.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayan Alipour
- Department of Computer Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | | | - Emanuele Sangiorgio
- Department of Social Sciences and Economics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Avalle
- Department of Computer Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Ljubisa Bojic
- The Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research and Development of Serbia, Beograd, Serbia
- Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Beograd, Serbia
| | - Matteo Cinelli
- Department of Computer Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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11
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Han Y, Bazzi M, Turrini P. Modelling and predicting online vaccination views using bow-tie decomposition. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231792. [PMID: 38384773 PMCID: PMC10878806 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Social media has become increasingly important in shaping public vaccination views, especially since the COVID-19 outbreak. This paper uses bow-tie structure to analyse a temporal dataset of directed online social networks that represent the information exchange among anti-vaccination, pro-vaccination and neutral Facebook pages. Bow-tie structure decomposes a network into seven components, with two components, strongly connected component (SCC) and out-periphery component (OUT), emphasized in this paper: SCC is the largest strongly connected component, acting as an 'information magnifier', and OUT contains all nodes with a directed path from a node in SCC, acting as an 'information creator'. We consistently observe statistically significant bow-tie structures with different dominant components for each vaccination group over time. In particular, the anti-vaccination group has a large OUT, and the pro-vaccination group has a large SCC. We further investigate changes in opinions over time, as measured by fan count variations, using agent-based simulations and machine learning models. Across both methods, accounting for bow-tie decomposition better reflects information flow differences among vaccination groups and improves our opinion dynamics prediction results. The modelling frameworks we consider can be applied to any multi-stance temporal network and could form a basis for exploring opinion dynamics using bow-tie structure in a wide range of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueting Han
- MathSys CDT, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Marya Bazzi
- Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
| | - Paolo Turrini
- Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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12
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Bucci LM, Lamprianou S, Gesualdo F, Tozzi AE, Ghalayini T, Sahinovic I, Pal S. A social media intervention for communicating vaccine safety in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a pilot study. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1248949. [PMID: 38145079 PMCID: PMC10748494 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1248949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccine safety is a concern that continues to drive hesitancy and refusal in populations in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs). Communicating about vaccine safety is a strategy that can successfully change personal and community perceptions and behaviors toward vaccination. The COVID-19 infodemic emergency with the rapid rollout of new vaccines and new technology, demonstrated the need for good and effective vaccine safety communication. The Vaccine Safety Net (VSN), a WHO-led global network of websites that provide reliable information on vaccine safety offers the ideal environment for gathering web and social media analytics for measuring impact of vaccine safety messages. Its members work with a wide range of populations, in different geographic locations and at many levels including national, regional, and local. We propose to undertake a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of implementing COVID-19 vaccine safety communications with VSN members working in LMICs and to assess the impact of communications on public knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Francesco Gesualdo
- Predictive and Preventive Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto E. Tozzi
- Predictive and Preventive Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Tala Ghalayini
- Accenture Health and Public Service, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Shanthi Pal
- World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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13
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Chiolero A, Tancredi S, Ioannidis JPA. Slow data public health. Eur J Epidemiol 2023; 38:1219-1225. [PMID: 37789225 PMCID: PMC10757907 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-023-01049-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Surveillance and research data, despite their massive production, often fail to inform evidence-based and rigorous data-driven health decision-making. In the age of infodemic, as revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, providing useful information for decision-making requires more than getting more data. Data of dubious quality and reliability waste resources and create data-genic public health damages. We call therefore for a slow data public health, which means focusing, first, on the identification of specific information needs and, second, on the dissemination of information in a way that informs decision-making, rather than devoting massive resources to data collection and analysis. A slow data public health prioritizes better data, ideally population-based, over more data and aims to be timely rather than deceptively fast. Applied by independent institutions with expertise in epidemiology and surveillance methods, it allows a thoughtful and timely public health response, based on high-quality data fostering trustworthiness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Chiolero
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Route Des Arsenaux 41, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
- School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Stefano Tancredi
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Route Des Arsenaux 41, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - John P A Ioannidis
- Departments of Medicine, of Epidemiology and Population Health, of Biomedical Data Science, and of Statistics, Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford University, Stanford, USA
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14
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Zhang J, Pan Y, Lin H, Sun Z, Wu P, Tu J. Infodemic: Challenges and solutions in topic discovery and data process. Arch Public Health 2023; 81:166. [PMID: 37679764 PMCID: PMC10483774 DOI: 10.1186/s13690-023-01179-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was a huge shock to society, and the ensuing information problems had a huge impact on society at the same time. The urgent need to understand the Infodemic, i.e., the importance of the spread of false information related to the epidemic, has been highlighted. However, while there is a growing interest in this phenomenon, studies on the topic discovery, data collection, and data preparation phases of the information analysis process have been lacking. OBJECTIVE Since the epidemic is unprecedented and has not ended to this day, we aimed to examine the existing Infodemic-related literature from January 2019 to December 2022. METHODS We have systematically searched ScienceDirect and IEEE Xplore databases with some search limitations. From the searched literature we selected titles, abstracts and keywords, and limitations sections. We conducted an extensive structured literature search and analysis by filtering the literature and sorting out the available information. RESULTS A total of 47 papers ended up meeting the requirements of this review. Researchers in all of these literatures encountered different challenges, most of which were focused on the data collection step, with few challenges encountered in the data preparation phase and almost none in the topic discovery section. The challenges were mainly divided into the points of how to collect data quickly, how to get the required data samples, how to filter the data, what to do if the data set is too small, how to pick the right classifier and how to deal with topic drift and diversity. In addition, researchers have proposed partial solutions to the challenges, and we have also proposed possible solutions. CONCLUSIONS This review found that Infodemic is a rapidly growing research area that attracts the interest of researchers from different disciplines. The number of studies in this field has increased significantly in recent years, with researchers from different countries, including the United States, India, and China. Infodemic topic discovery, data collection, and data preparation are not easy, and each step faces different challenges. While there is some research in this emerging field, there are still many challenges that need to be addressed. These findings highlight the need for more articles to address these issues and fill these gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjin Zhang
- School of Computer Science, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yang Pan
- School of Computer Science, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China
| | - Han Lin
- School of Engineering Audit, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Public Project Audit, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Zhoubao Sun
- School of Engineering Audit, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Public Project Audit, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China
| | - Pingping Wu
- School of Engineering Audit, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Public Project Audit, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China
| | - Juan Tu
- The Institute of Acoustics, School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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15
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Peiró S. [The future of public health after the pandemic. A window of opportunity]. An Sist Sanit Navar 2023; 46:e1045. [PMID: 37605923 PMCID: PMC10507369 DOI: 10.23938/assn.1045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Salvador Peiró
- Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunidad Valenciana (FISABIO). València. España..
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16
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Hu Z, Wu C, Sacco PL. Editorial: Public health policy and health communication challenges in the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1251503. [PMID: 37601201 PMCID: PMC10436619 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1251503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwen Hu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Computational Social Science, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chuhan Wu
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Pier Luigi Sacco
- Department of Philosophical, Pedagogical and Economic-Quantitative Sciences, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Pescara, Italy
- metaLAB (at) Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Institute for the Sciences of Cultural Heritage, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
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17
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Benis A, Haghi M, Tamburis O, Darmoni SJ, Grosjean J, Deserno TM. Digital Emergency Management for a Complex One Health Landscape: the Need for Standardization, Integration, and Interoperability. Yearb Med Inform 2023; 32:27-35. [PMID: 38147847 PMCID: PMC10751113 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1768742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Planning reliable long-term planning actions to handle disruptive events requires a timely development of technological infrastructures, as well as the set-up of focused strategies for emergency management. The paper aims to highlight the needs for standardization, integration, and interoperability between Accident & Emergency Informatics (A&EI) and One Digital Health (ODH), as fields capable of dealing with peculiar dynamics for a technology-boosted management of emergencies under an overarching One Health panorama. METHODS An integrative analysis of the literature was conducted to draw attention to specific foci on the correlation between ODH and A&EI, in particular: (i) the management of disruptive events from private smart spaces to diseases spreading, and (ii) the concepts of (health-related) quality of life and well-being. RESULTS A digitally-focused management of emergency events that tackles the inextricable interconnectedness between humans, animals, and surrounding environment, demands standardization, integration, and systems interoperability. A consistent and finalized process of adoption and implementation of methods and tools from the International Standard Accident Number (ISAN), via findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR) data principles, to Medical Informatics and Digital Health Multilingual Ontology (MIMO) - capable of looking at different approaches to encourage the integration between the ODH framework and the A&EI vision, provides a first answer to these needs. CONCLUSIONS ODH and A&EI look at different scales but with similar goals for converging health and environmental-related data management standards to enable multi-sources, interdisciplinary, and real-time data integration and interoperability. This allows holistic digital health both in routine and emergency events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arriel Benis
- Department of Digital Medical Technologies, Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel
- IMIA Working Group One Digital Health (WG ODH)
| | - Mostafa Haghi
- Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of TU Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, Germany
- IMIA Working Group Accident & Emergency Informatics (WG A&EI)
| | - Oscar Tamburis
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
- IMIA Working Group One Digital Health (WG ODH)
| | - Stéfan J. Darmoni
- Department of Digital Health, Rouen University Hospital, France
- LIMICS Laboratory of Medical Informatics and Knowledge Engineering in e-Health, Inserm U1142, Sorbonne Université, France
| | - Julien Grosjean
- Department of Digital Health, Rouen University Hospital, France
- LIMICS Laboratory of Medical Informatics and Knowledge Engineering in e-Health, Inserm U1142, Sorbonne Université, France
| | - Thomas M. Deserno
- Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of TU Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, Germany
- IMIA Working Group Accident & Emergency Informatics (WG A&EI)
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18
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Chippaux JP. COVID-19 impacts on healthcare access in sub-Saharan Africa: an overview. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2023; 29:e20230002. [PMID: 37405230 PMCID: PMC10317188 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2023-0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This overview aimed to describe the situation of healthcare access in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A PubMed® search from March 31, 2020, to August 15, 2022, selected 116 articles. Healthcare access and consequences of COVID-19 were assessed based on comparisons with months before its onset or an identical season in previous years. A general reduction of healthcare delivery, associated with the decline of care quality, and closure of many specialty services were reported. The impact was heterogeneous in space and time, with an increase in urban areas at the beginning of the pandemic (March-June 2020). The return to normalcy was gradual from the 3rd quarter of 2020 until the end of 2021. The impact of COVID-19 on the health system and its use was attributed to (a) conjunctural factors resulting from government actions to mitigate the spread of the epidemic (containment, transportation restrictions, closures of businesses, and places of entertainment or worship); (b) structural factors related to the disruption of public and private facilities and institutions, in particular, the health system; and (c) individual factors linked to the increase in costs, impoverishment of the population, and fear of contamination or stigmatization, which discouraged patients from going to health centers. They have caused considerable socio-economic damage. Several studies emphasized some adaptability of the healthcare offer and resilience of the healthcare system, despite its unpreparedness, which explained a return to normal activities as early as 2022 while the COVID-19 epidemic persisted. There appears to be a strong disproportion between the moderate incidence and severity of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa, and the dramatic impact on healthcare access. Several articles make recommendations for lowering the socioeconomic consequences of future epidemics to ensure better management of health issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Philippe Chippaux
- Paris Cité University, Research Institute for Development, Mother and child in tropical environment: pathogens, health system and epidemiological transition, Paris, France
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19
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Etta G, Sangiorgio E, Di Marco N, Avalle M, Scala A, Cinelli M, Quattrociocchi W. Characterizing engagement dynamics across topics on Facebook. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286150. [PMID: 37379268 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Social media platforms heavily changed how users consume and digest information and, thus, how the popularity of topics evolves. In this paper, we explore the interplay between the virality of controversial topics and how they may trigger heated discussions and eventually increase users' polarization. We perform a quantitative analysis on Facebook by collecting ∼57M posts from ∼2M pages and groups between 2018 and 2022, focusing on engaging topics involving scandals, tragedies, and social and political issues. Using logistic functions, we quantitatively assess the evolution of these topics finding similar patterns in their engagement dynamics. Finally, we show that initial burstiness may predict the rise of users' future adverse reactions regardless of the discussed topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Etta
- Center of Data Science and Complexity for Society, Department of Computer Science, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Emanuele Sangiorgio
- Department of Social Sciences and Economics, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Niccolò Di Marco
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Florence, Firenze FI, Italy
| | - Michele Avalle
- Center of Data Science and Complexity for Society, Department of Computer Science, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Cinelli
- Center of Data Science and Complexity for Society, Department of Computer Science, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Walter Quattrociocchi
- Center of Data Science and Complexity for Society, Department of Computer Science, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
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20
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Dunn AG, Purnat TD, Ishizumi A, Nguyen T, Briand S. Measuring the burden of infodemics with a research toolkit for connecting information exposure, trust, and health behaviours. Arch Public Health 2023; 81:102. [PMID: 37277857 PMCID: PMC10240452 DOI: 10.1186/s13690-023-01101-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During a public health emergency, accurate and useful information can be drowned out by questions, concerns, information voids, conflicting information, and misinformation. Very few studies connect information exposure and trust to health behaviours, which limits available evidence to inform when and where to act to mitigate the burden of infodemics, especially in low resource settings. This research describes the features of a toolkit that can support studies linking information exposure to health behaviours at the individual level. METHODS To meet the needs of the research community, we determined the functional and non-functional requirements of a research toolkit that can be used in studies measuring topic-specific information exposure and health behaviours. Most data-driven infodemiology research is designed to characterise content rather than measure associations between information exposure and health behaviours. Studies also tend to be limited to specific social media platforms, are unable to capture the breadth of individual information exposure that occur online and offline, and cannot measure differences in trust by information source or content. Studies are also designed very differently, limiting synthesis of results. RESULTS We demonstrate a way to address these requirements via a web-based study platform that includes an app that participants use to record topic-specific information exposure, a browser plugin for tracking access to relevant webpages, questionnaires that can be delivered at any time during a study, and app-based incentives for participation such as visual analytics to compare trust levels with other participants. Other features of the platform include the ability to tailor studies to local contexts, ease of use for participants, and frictionless sharing of de-identified data for aggregating individual participant data in international meta-analyses. CONCLUSIONS Our proposed solution will be able to capture detailed data about information exposure and health behaviour data, standardise study design while simultaneously supporting localisation, and make it easy to synthesise individual participant data across studies. Future research will need to evaluate the toolkit in realistic scenarios to understand the usability of the toolkit for both participants and investigators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam G Dunn
- Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Tina D Purnat
- Department for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Atsuyoshi Ishizumi
- Department for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Tim Nguyen
- Department for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sylvie Briand
- Department for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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21
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Boender TS, Schneider PH, Houareau C, Wehrli S, Purnat TD, Ishizumi A, Wilhelm E, Voegeli C, Wieler LH, Leuker C. Establishing Infodemic Management in Germany: A Framework for Social Listening and Integrated Analysis to Report Infodemic Insights at the National Public Health Institute. JMIR INFODEMIOLOGY 2023; 3:e43646. [PMID: 37261891 PMCID: PMC10273031 DOI: 10.2196/43646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To respond to the need to establish infodemic management functions at the national public health institute in Germany (Robert Koch Institute, RKI), we explored and assessed available data sources, developed a social listening and integrated analysis framework, and defined when infodemic management functions should be activated during emergencies. OBJECTIVE We aimed to establish a framework for social listening and integrated analysis for public health in the German context using international examples and technical guidance documents for infodemic management. METHODS This study completed the following objectives: identified (potentially) available data sources for social listening and integrated analysis; assessed these data sources for their suitability and usefulness for integrated analysis in addition to an assessment of their risk using the RKI's standardized data protection requirements; developed a framework and workflow to combine social listening and integrated analysis to report back actionable infodemic insights for public health communications by the RKI and stakeholders; and defined criteria for activating integrated analysis structures in the context of a specific health event or health emergency. RESULTS We included and classified 38% (16/42) of the identified and assessed data sources for social listening and integrated analysis at the RKI into 3 categories: social media and web-based listening data, RKI-specific data, and infodemic insights. Most data sources can be analyzed weekly to detect current trends and narratives and to inform a timely response by reporting insights that include a risk assessment and scalar judgments of different narratives and themes. CONCLUSIONS This study identified, assessed, and prioritized a wide range of data sources for social listening and integrated analysis to report actionable infodemic insights, ensuring a valuable first step in establishing and operationalizing infodemic management at the RKI. This case study also serves as a roadmap for others. Ultimately, once operational, these activities will inform better and targeted public health communication at the RKI and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Sonia Boender
- Risk Communication Unit, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Claudia Houareau
- Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Silvan Wehrli
- Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Public Health Research, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tina D Purnat
- Health Emergencies Programme, Department of Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Atsuyoshi Ishizumi
- Health Emergencies Programme, Department of Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Prevention, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elisabeth Wilhelm
- School of Public Health Information Futures Lab, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | | | - Lothar H Wieler
- Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- Digital Global Public Health, Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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22
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Parisi L, Mulargia S, Comunello F, Bernardini V, Bussoletti A, Nisi CR, Russo L, Campagna I, Lanfranchi B, Croci I, Grassucci E, Gesualdo F. Exploring the vaccine conversation on TikTok in Italy: beyond classic vaccine stances. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:880. [PMID: 37173677 PMCID: PMC10176305 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15748-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
TikTok, a social media platform for creating and sharing short videos, has seen a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. To analyse the Italian vaccine conversation on TikTok, we downloaded a sample of videos with a high play count (Top Videos), identified through an unofficial Application Programming Interface (consistent with TikTok's Terms of Service), and collected public videos from vaccine sceptic users through snowball sampling (Vaccine Sceptics' videos). The videos were analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods, in terms of vaccine stance, tone of voice, topic, conformity with TikTok style, and other characteristics. The final datasets consisted of 754 Top Videos (by 510 single users) plus 180 Vaccine Sceptics' videos (by 29 single users), posted between January 2020 and March 2021. In 40.5% of the Top Videos the stance was promotional, 33.9% were indefinite-ironic, 11.3% were neutral, 9.7% were discouraging, and 3.1% were ambiguous (i.e. expressing an ambivalent stance towards vaccines); 43% of promotional videos were from healthcare professionals. More than 95% of the Vaccine Sceptic videos were discouraging. Multiple correspondence analysis showed that, compared to other stances, promotional videos were more frequently created by healthcare professionals and by females, and their most frequent topic was herd immunity. Discouraging videos were associated with a polemical tone of voice and their topics were conspiracy and freedom of choice. Our analysis shows that Italian vaccine-sceptic users on TikTok are limited in number and vocality, and the large proportion of videos with an indefinite-ironic stance might imply that the incidence of affective polarisation could be lower on TikTok, compared to other social media, in the Italian context. Safety is the most frequent concern of users, and we recorded an interesting presence of healthcare professionals among the creators. TikTok should be considered as a medium for vaccine communication and for vaccine promotion campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza Parisi
- Human Sciences Department, Link Campus University, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Mulargia
- Department of Human Studies - Communication, Education, and Psychology, LUMSA University, Borgo S. Angelo, 13, Rome, 00193, Italy
| | - Francesca Comunello
- Department of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Vittoria Bernardini
- Department of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Arianna Bussoletti
- Department of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Carla Rita Nisi
- Department of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Luisa Russo
- Predictive and Preventive Medicine Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Piazza S. Onofrio 4, Rome, 00165, Italy
| | - Ilaria Campagna
- Predictive and Preventive Medicine Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Piazza S. Onofrio 4, Rome, 00165, Italy
| | - Barbara Lanfranchi
- Predictive and Preventive Medicine Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Piazza S. Onofrio 4, Rome, 00165, Italy
| | - Ileana Croci
- Predictive and Preventive Medicine Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Piazza S. Onofrio 4, Rome, 00165, Italy
| | - Eleonora Grassucci
- Predictive and Preventive Medicine Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Piazza S. Onofrio 4, Rome, 00165, Italy
- Department of Information Engineering, Electronics, and Telecommunication, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Francesco Gesualdo
- Predictive and Preventive Medicine Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital IRCCS, Piazza S. Onofrio 4, Rome, 00165, Italy.
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Li Z, Zhao Y, Duan T, Dai J. Configurational patterns for COVID-19 related social media rumor refutation effectiveness enhancement based on machine learning and fsQCA. Inf Process Manag 2023; 60:103303. [PMID: 36741251 PMCID: PMC9889264 DOI: 10.1016/j.ipm.2023.103303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Infodemics are intertwined with the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting people's perception and social order. To curb the spread of COVID-19 related false rumors, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is used to find configurational pathways to enhance rumor refutation effectiveness. In this paper, a total of 1,903 COVID-19 related false rumor refutation microblogs on Sina Weibo are collected by a web crawler from January 1, 2022 to April 20, 2022, and 10 main conditions affecting rumor refutation effectiveness index (REI) are identified based on "three rules of epidemics". To reduce data redundancy, five ensemble machine learning models are established and tuned, among which Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM) regression model has the best performance. Then five core conditions are extracted by feature importance ranking of LGBM. Based on fsQCA with the five core conditions, REI enhancement can be achieved through three different pathway elements configurations solutions: "Highly influential microblogger * high followers' stickiness microblogger", "high followers' stickiness microblogger * highly active microblogger * concise information description" and "high followers' stickiness microblogger * the sentiment tendency of the topic * concise information description". Finally, decision-making suggestions for false rumor refutation platforms and new ideas for improving false rumor refutation effectiveness are proposed. The innovation of this paper reflects in exploring the REI enhancement strategy from the perspective of configuration for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongmin Li
- Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Ye Zhao
- Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Tie Duan
- Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Jingqi Dai
- School of Economics and Management, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan 618300, China
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24
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De Angelis L, Baglivo F, Arzilli G, Privitera GP, Ferragina P, Tozzi AE, Rizzo C. ChatGPT and the rise of large language models: the new AI-driven infodemic threat in public health. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1166120. [PMID: 37181697 PMCID: PMC10166793 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1166120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 98.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Large Language Models (LLMs) have recently gathered attention with the release of ChatGPT, a user-centered chatbot released by OpenAI. In this perspective article, we retrace the evolution of LLMs to understand the revolution brought by ChatGPT in the artificial intelligence (AI) field. The opportunities offered by LLMs in supporting scientific research are multiple and various models have already been tested in Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks in this domain. The impact of ChatGPT has been huge for the general public and the research community, with many authors using the chatbot to write part of their articles and some papers even listing ChatGPT as an author. Alarming ethical and practical challenges emerge from the use of LLMs, particularly in the medical field for the potential impact on public health. Infodemic is a trending topic in public health and the ability of LLMs to rapidly produce vast amounts of text could leverage misinformation spread at an unprecedented scale, this could create an "AI-driven infodemic," a novel public health threat. Policies to contrast this phenomenon need to be rapidly elaborated, the inability to accurately detect artificial-intelligence-produced text is an unresolved issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi De Angelis
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Baglivo
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Guglielmo Arzilli
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gaetano Pierpaolo Privitera
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Training Office, National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Ferragina
- Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alberto Eugenio Tozzi
- Fetal, Neonatal and Cardiologic Science Research Area, Predictive and Preventive Medicine Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Caterina Rizzo
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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25
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Wilhelm E, Ballalai I, Belanger ME, Benjamin P, Bertrand-Ferrandis C, Bezbaruah S, Briand S, Brooks I, Bruns R, Bucci LM, Calleja N, Chiou H, Devaria A, Dini L, D'Souza H, Dunn AG, Eichstaedt JC, Evers SMAA, Gobat N, Gissler M, Gonzales IC, Gruzd A, Hess S, Ishizumi A, John O, Joshi A, Kaluza B, Khamis N, Kosinska M, Kulkarni S, Lingri D, Ludolph R, Mackey T, Mandić-Rajčević S, Menczer F, Mudaliar V, Murthy S, Nazakat S, Nguyen T, Nilsen J, Pallari E, Pasternak Taschner N, Petelos E, Prinstein MJ, Roozenbeek J, Schneider A, Srinivasan V, Stevanović A, Strahwald B, Syed Abdul S, Varaidzo Machiri S, van der Linden S, Voegeli C, Wardle C, Wegwarth O, White BK, Willie E, Yau B, Purnat TD. Measuring the Burden of Infodemics: Summary of the Methods and Results of the Fifth WHO Infodemic Management Conference. JMIR INFODEMIOLOGY 2023; 3:e44207. [PMID: 37012998 PMCID: PMC9989916 DOI: 10.2196/44207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Background An infodemic is excess information, including false or misleading information, that spreads in digital and physical environments during a public health emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by an unprecedented global infodemic that has led to confusion about the benefits of medical and public health interventions, with substantial impact on risk-taking and health-seeking behaviors, eroding trust in health authorities and compromising the effectiveness of public health responses and policies. Standardized measures are needed to quantify the harmful impacts of the infodemic in a systematic and methodologically robust manner, as well as harmonizing highly divergent approaches currently explored for this purpose. This can serve as a foundation for a systematic, evidence-based approach to monitoring, identifying, and mitigating future infodemic harms in emergency preparedness and prevention. Objective In this paper, we summarize the Fifth World Health Organization (WHO) Infodemic Management Conference structure, proceedings, outcomes, and proposed actions seeking to identify the interdisciplinary approaches and frameworks needed to enable the measurement of the burden of infodemics. Methods An iterative human-centered design (HCD) approach and concept mapping were used to facilitate focused discussions and allow for the generation of actionable outcomes and recommendations. The discussions included 86 participants representing diverse scientific disciplines and health authorities from 28 countries across all WHO regions, along with observers from civil society and global public health-implementing partners. A thematic map capturing the concepts matching the key contributing factors to the public health burden of infodemics was used throughout the conference to frame and contextualize discussions. Five key areas for immediate action were identified. Results The 5 key areas for the development of metrics to assess the burden of infodemics and associated interventions included (1) developing standardized definitions and ensuring the adoption thereof; (2) improving the map of concepts influencing the burden of infodemics; (3) conducting a review of evidence, tools, and data sources; (4) setting up a technical working group; and (5) addressing immediate priorities for postpandemic recovery and resilience building. The summary report consolidated group input toward a common vocabulary with standardized terms, concepts, study designs, measures, and tools to estimate the burden of infodemics and the effectiveness of infodemic management interventions. Conclusions Standardizing measurement is the basis for documenting the burden of infodemics on health systems and population health during emergencies. Investment is needed into the development of practical, affordable, evidence-based, and systematic methods that are legally and ethically balanced for monitoring infodemics; generating diagnostics, infodemic insights, and recommendations; and developing interventions, action-oriented guidance, policies, support options, mechanisms, and tools for infodemic managers and emergency program managers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Wilhelm
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA United States
| | | | - Marie-Eve Belanger
- Department of Political Science and International Relations Université de Genève Geneva Switzerland
| | | | | | - Supriya Bezbaruah
- Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Sylvie Briand
- Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Ian Brooks
- Center for Health Informatics School of Information Sciences University of Illinois Champaign, IL United States
| | - Richard Bruns
- Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Baltimore, MD United States
| | - Lucie M Bucci
- Immunize Canada Canadian Public Health Association Ottawa, ON Canada
| | - Neville Calleja
- Directorate for Health Information and Research Ministry for Health Valletta Malta
| | - Howard Chiou
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA United States
- US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Rockville, MD United States
| | | | - Lorena Dini
- Working Group Health Policy and Systems Research and Innovation Institute for General Practice Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Hyjel D'Souza
- The George Institute for Global Health New Delhi India
| | - Adam G Dunn
- Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health Faculty of Medicine and Health University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | - Johannes C Eichstaedt
- Department of Psychology Stanford University Stanford, CA United States
- Institute for Human-Centered AI Stanford University Stanford, CA United States
| | - Silvia M A A Evers
- Department of Health Services Research Maastricht University Maastricht Netherlands
| | - Nina Gobat
- Department of Country Readiness Strengthening World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Mika Gissler
- Department of Knowledge Brokers THL Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare Helsinki Finland
| | - Ian Christian Gonzales
- Field Epidemiology Training Program Epidemiology Bureau Department of Health Manila Philippines
| | - Anatoliy Gruzd
- Ted Rogers School of Management Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Sarah Hess
- Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Atsuyoshi Ishizumi
- Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Oommen John
- The George Institute for Global Health New Delhi India
| | - Ashish Joshi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy City University of New York New York, NY United States
| | - Benjamin Kaluza
- Department Technological Analysis and Strategic Planning Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis INT Euskirchen Germany
| | - Nagwa Khamis
- Infection Prevention and Control Department Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt-57357 Ain Shams University Specialized Hospital Cairo Egypt
| | - Monika Kosinska
- Department of Social Determinants World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Shibani Kulkarni
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA United States
| | - Dimitra Lingri
- European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network Aristotle Universtity of Thessaloniki Brussels Belgium
| | - Ramona Ludolph
- Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Tim Mackey
- Global Health Program Department of Anthropology University of California San Diego, CA United States
| | | | - Filippo Menczer
- Observatory on Social Media Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering Indiana University Bloomington, IN United States
| | | | - Shruti Murthy
- The George Institute for Global Health New Delhi India
| | - Syed Nazakat
- DataLEADS (Health Analytics Asia) New Delhi India
| | - Tim Nguyen
- Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Nilsen
- Technology and Social Change Project Harvard University Cambridge, MA United States
| | - Elena Pallari
- Health Innovation Network Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital London United Kingdom
| | - Natalia Pasternak Taschner
- Center of Science and Society Columbia University New York, NY United States
- Instituto Questão de Ciência São Paulo Brazil
| | - Elena Petelos
- Department of Health Services Research Care and Public Health Research Institute Maastricht University Maastricht Netherlands
- Clinic of Social and Family Medicine Faculty of Medicine University of Crete Heraklion Greece
| | - Mitchell J Prinstein
- American Psychological Association Washington DC, DC United States
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC United States
| | - Jon Roozenbeek
- Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - Anton Schneider
- Bureau for Global Health Office of Infectious Disease United States Agency for International Development Washington DC, DC United States
| | | | - Aleksandar Stevanović
- Institute of Social Medicine Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
| | - Brigitte Strahwald
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich Germany
| | - Shabbir Syed Abdul
- The George Institute for Global Health New Delhi India
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics Taipei Medical University Taipei Taiwan
| | | | | | - Christopher Voegeli
- Office of the Director National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA United States
| | - Claire Wardle
- Information Futures Lab School of Public Health Brown University Providence, RI United States
| | - Odette Wegwarth
- Heisenberg Chair for Medical Risk Literacy & Evidence-Based Decisions Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Becky K White
- Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Estelle Willie
- Communications, Policy, Advocacy The Rockefeller Foundation New York, NY United States
| | - Brian Yau
- Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
| | - Tina D Purnat
- Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland
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26
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Chippaux JP. [Impact of COVID-19 on public health in sub-Saharan Africa]. BULLETIN DE L'ACADEMIE NATIONALE DE MEDECINE 2023; 207:150-164. [PMID: 36628105 PMCID: PMC9816877 DOI: 10.1016/j.banm.2022.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Objective This work aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare supply in sub-Saharan Africa except South Africa. Method A search through PubMed® between April 2020 and August 2022 selected 135 articles. The impact of COVID-19 was assessed on comparisons with the months prior to the onset of COVID-19 or an identical season in previous years. Results The decline of health services, associated with a reduction in their quality, and the closure of specialized health units have been reported. Many control programs and public health interventions have been interrupted, with the risk of an increase of the corresponding diseases. Social disorganization has generated mental health issues among the population, including health personnel. The impact was heterogeneous in space and time. The main causes were attributed to containment measures (transport restrictions, trade closures) and the lack of human and material resources. The increase in costs, in addition to the impoverishment of the population, and the fear of being contaminated or stigmatized have discouraged patients from going to health centres. The studies mention the gradual return to normal after the first epidemic wave and the resilience of the healthcare system. Conclusion Several articles make recommendations aimed at reducing the impact of future epidemics: support for community workers, training of health workers and reorganization of services to improve the reception and care of patients, technological innovations (use of telephones, drones, etc.) and better information monitoring.
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27
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Blandi L, Sabbatucci M, Dallagiacoma G, Alberti F, Bertuccio P, Odone A. Digital Information Approach through Social Media among Gen Z and Millennials: The Global Scenario during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1822. [PMID: 36366331 PMCID: PMC9696549 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10111822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
An infodemic represents a concern for public health, influencing the general population's perceptions of key health issues. Misinformation is rapidly spread by social media, particularly among young generations. We used data from the WHO "Social Media and COVID-19" study, which was conducted in 24 countries worldwide on over 23,000 subjects aged 18-40 years, to explore Generation Z and Millennials' models for health-information-seeking behaviors on social media. We summarized data on the most used sources of information, content of interest, and content sharing, as well as the sentiment toward the infodemic, through descriptive statistics and Chi-square test to verify the differences between groups. Among the survey respondents, 9475 (40.3%) were from high-income countries (HIC), 8000 (34.1%) from upper-middle-income countries (UMIC), and 6007 (25.6%) from lower-middle-income countries (LMIC). Social media were the most used sources of information to retrieve news on COVID-19 disease (about 79% in HIC, 87% in UMIC, and 90% in LIC) and the COVID-19 vaccine (about 78% in HIC and about 88% in UMIC and LIC). More than a half of the young respondents declared that they pay attention to scientific contents (about 51% in HIC, 59% in UMIC, and 55% in LMIC). Finally, most young participants reported feeling overwhelmed by the infodemic. However, this sentiment did not stop them from seeking information about COVID-19. Our findings highlight the importance of shaping public health interventions and campaigns on social media platforms and leveraging scientific contents. Public health authorities should work also on strategies to improve the digital literacy of the population as a driving force to empower them and achieve better health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Blandi
- School of Public Health, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Michela Sabbatucci
- Italian National Institute of Health, Department Infectious Diseases, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Dallagiacoma
- School of Public Health, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Federica Alberti
- School of Public Health, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Paola Bertuccio
- School of Public Health, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna Odone
- School of Public Health, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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28
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Wirtz MA, Dresch C, Heiberger A, Schulz AA. Structural Analysis of the Health Literacy Facet Access to Information on General Health, COVID-19 Infection Prevention, and Early Childhood Allergy Prevention in Pregnant Women and Mothers of Infants. DIAGNOSTICA 2022. [DOI: 10.1026/0012-1924/a000295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. The health literacy (HL) facet Access to health information is measured in the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU-Q47) by 12 items. To assess Access, we developed adapted item formulations for COVID-19 infection prevention (COVID-19-IP) and early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP) in addition to the original 12 items on General Health (GH). N = 343 (expectant) mothers of infants answered the items in an online assessment. Confirmatory structural analyses for ordinal data were adopted (WLSMV-algorithm). Women’s item ratings varied significantly across domains (η2 = .017 – .552). Bi-factor models exhibited the best data fit (GH / COVID-19-IP / ECAP: CFI = .964 / .968 / .977; SRMR: .062 / .069 / .035): The general factor Access most strongly determined item information. Additionally, three subfactors contributed significantly (but rather weakly) to the item information in each domain. The overall score Access proved to be internally consistent (McDonald’s ωGH/COVID-19-IP/ECAP = .874 / .883 / .897) and was associated with socioeconomic state (McArthur scale; rGH/COVID-19-IP/ECAP = .218 / .210 / .146). Access correlated not or only weakly with the other HL facets Understand, Appraise, and Apply. The health domains GH, COVID-19-IP, and ECAP moderated both the difficulty and the dimensional structure of the 12 Access items. This suggests that in the HLS-EU Access reflects not only the search competence but also the availability of health information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Antonius Wirtz
- Research Methods in Health Sciences, Faculty for Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology, University of Education Freiburg, Germany
| | - Carolin Dresch
- Research Methods in Health Sciences, Faculty for Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology, University of Education Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Heiberger
- Research Methods in Health Sciences, Faculty for Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology, University of Education Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anja Alexandra Schulz
- Research Methods in Health Sciences, Faculty for Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology, University of Education Freiburg, Germany
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29
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Marcotrigiano V, Pattavina F, Blangiardi L, Salerno G, Dalena A, Del Bianco F, Di Fant M, Fabbro A, Forgiarini M, Lanzilotti C, Wachocka M, Marchet P, Mazzurana M, Rizzi R, Russo C, Salerno F, Vailati M, Stingi GD, Laurenti P, Ferro A, Cinquetti S, Napoli C. The Preventive Health Professions in Italy: The Efficient Use of Resources, Skills and Best Practice during the Pandemic. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:1906. [PMID: 36292353 PMCID: PMC9601740 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10101906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Health visitors (HVs) and environmental health officers (EHOs) are the healthcare workers (HCWs) who, in the Italian National Health Service, mainly operate in the prevention departments of local health authorities, guaranteeing the territorial activities specifically declared with the respective professional profiles. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it was necessary to reallocate all HCWs supporting Hygiene and Public Health Services involved on the front lines of the emergency, in order to perform preventive activities and to take immediate action to fight the spread of the virus. By means of an IT survey consisting of three sections, this study investigated how 960 HVs and EHOs dealt with this reallocation, with the shifting in service assignment, and with the perceived level of fatigue and pressure, through the application of skills acquired from university training. The synergy among the preventive health professions, the ability to work in a multi-professional team, and the complementary training of HCWs represent the main strengths for overcoming future public health challenges, aimed at protecting human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Marcotrigiano
- Prevention Department, Local Health Authority BT, Barletta-Andria-Trani, 76125 Trani, Italy
| | - Fabio Pattavina
- Hygiene Hospital Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Blangiardi
- Prevention Department, Local Health Authority “AULSS 6 Euganea”, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Gerardo Salerno
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs “NESMOS”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Annamaria Dalena
- Prevention Department, Local Health Authority Taranto, 74121 Taranto, Italy
| | - Flavio Del Bianco
- Prevention Technical Platform, “AS FO” Western Friuli Health Authority, 33170 Pordenone, Italy
| | - Marcella Di Fant
- Prevention Department, “ASU FC” Friuli Centrale University Health Authority, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Anna Fabbro
- Prevention Department, “ASU FC” Friuli Centrale University Health Authority, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Mariarita Forgiarini
- Prevention Department, “ASU FC” Friuli Centrale University Health Authority, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Carola Lanzilotti
- Prevention Department, Local Health Authority Brindisi, 72100 Brindisi, Italy
| | - Malgorzata Wachocka
- Hygiene Hospital Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Marchet
- Prevention Department, Local Health Authority “AULSS 1 Dolomiti”, 32100 Belluno, Italy
| | - Mirko Mazzurana
- Prevention Department, Provincial Authority for Health Services, “APSS” Autonomous Province of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Roberto Rizzi
- Prevention Department, Local Health Authority Taranto, 74121 Taranto, Italy
| | - Carmela Russo
- Bachelor’s Course in Health Assistance, University of Padua, 35122 Padua, Italy
| | - Fabiana Salerno
- Prevention Department, “ASU FC” Friuli Centrale University Health Authority, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Mattia Vailati
- Authorization for the Accreditation of Healthcare Structures Unit, “ATS” Agency for Health Protection of Metropolitan Area of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Patrizia Laurenti
- Life Sciences and Public Health Department, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Ferro
- Prevention Department, Provincial Authority for Health Services, “APSS” Autonomous Province of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Sandro Cinquetti
- Prevention Department, Local Health Authority “AULSS 1 Dolomiti”, 32100 Belluno, Italy
| | - Christian Napoli
- Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy
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30
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Ghazy RM, Abdou MS, Awaidy S, Sallam M, Elbarazi I, Youssef N, Fiidow OA, Mehdad S, Hussein MF, Adam MF, Abdullah FSA, Rebai WK, Raad EB, Hussein M, Shehata SF, Ismail II, Salam AA, Samhouri D. Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Doses Using the Health Belief Model: A Cross-Sectional Study in Low-Middle- and High-Income Countries of the East Mediterranean Region. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph191912136. [PMID: 36231447 PMCID: PMC9566578 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) booster doses decrease infection transmission and disease severity. This study aimed to assess the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses in low, middle, and high-income countries of the East Mediterranean Region (EMR) and its determinants using the health belief model (HBM). In addition, we aimed to identify the causes of booster dose rejection and the main source of information about vaccination. Using the snowball and convince sampling technique, a bilingual, self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was used to collect the data from 14 EMR countries through different social media platforms. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the key determinants that predict vaccination acceptance among respondents. Overall, 2327 participants responded to the questionnaire. In total, 1468 received compulsory doses of vaccination. Of them, 739 (50.3%) received booster doses and 387 (26.4%) were willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine booster doses. Vaccine booster dose acceptance rates in low, middle, and high-income countries were 73.4%, 67.9%, and 83.0%, respectively (p < 0.001). Participants who reported reliance on information about the COVID-19 vaccination from the Ministry of Health websites were more willing to accept booster doses (79.3% vs. 66.6%, p < 0.001). The leading causes behind booster dose rejection were the beliefs that booster doses have no benefit (48.35%) and have severe side effects (25.6%). Determinants of booster dose acceptance were age (odds ratio (OR) = 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.03, p = 0.002), information provided by the Ministry of Health (OR = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.79-6.49, p = 0.015), perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 infection (OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.21-2.93, p = 0.005), perceived severity of COVID-19 (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 137-3.16, p = 0.001), and perceived risk of side effects (OR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.19-0.34, p < 0.001). Booster dose acceptance in EMR is relatively high. Interventions based on HBM may provide useful directions for policymakers to enhance the population's acceptance of booster vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramy Mohamed Ghazy
- Tropical Health Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21561, Egypt
- Correspondence:
| | - Marwa Shawky Abdou
- Department of Epidemiology, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21561, Egypt
| | - Salah Awaidy
- Health Affairs, Ministry of Health, Muscat 100, Oman
| | - Malik Sallam
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
- Department of Clinical Laboratories and Forensic Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, Amman 11942, Jordan
- Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, 22184 Malmö, Sweden
| | - Iffat Elbarazi
- Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin 15551, United Arab Emirates
| | - Naglaa Youssef
- Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Osman Abubakar Fiidow
- School of Public Health and Research, Somali National University, Mogadishu P.O. Box 15, Somalia
| | - Slimane Mehdad
- Physiology and Physiopathology Research Team, Research Centre of Human Pathology Genomics, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat BP 8007, Morocco
| | - Mohamed Fakhry Hussein
- Occupational Health and Industrial Medicine Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21526, Egypt
| | | | | | | | - Etwal Bou Raad
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, American University of Beirut, Beirut P.O. Box 110236, Lebanon
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon
| | - Mai Hussein
- Clinical Research Administration, Alexandria Directorate of Health Affairs, Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, Alexandria 21554, Egypt
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shehata F. Shehata
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia
- Biostatistics Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21561, Egypt
| | - Ismail Ibrahim Ismail
- Department of Neurology, Ibn Sina Hospital, Gamal Abdel Nasser Street, Sabah Medical Area, Safat 070001, Kuwait
| | | | - Dalia Samhouri
- Emergency Preparedness and International Health Regulations, WHO EMRO (DS), P.O. Box 7608, Naser City 11371, Egypt
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Semeraro A, Vilella S, Ruffo G, Stella M. Emotional profiling and cognitive networks unravel how mainstream and alternative press framed AstraZeneca, Pfizer and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14445. [PMID: 36002554 PMCID: PMC9400577 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18472-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 vaccines have been largely debated by the press. To understand how mainstream and alternative media debated vaccines, we introduce a paradigm reconstructing time-evolving narrative frames via cognitive networks and natural language processing. We study Italian news articles massively re-shared on Facebook/Twitter (up to 5 million times), covering 5745 vaccine-related news from 17 news outlets over 8 months. We find consistently high trust/anticipation and low disgust in the way mainstream sources framed "vaccine/vaccino". These emotions were crucially missing in alternative outlets. News titles from alternative sources framed "AstraZeneca" with sadness, absent in mainstream titles. Initially, mainstream news linked mostly "Pfizer" with side effects (e.g. "allergy", "reaction", "fever"). With the temporary suspension of "AstraZeneca", negative associations shifted: Mainstream titles prominently linked "AstraZeneca" with side effects, while "Pfizer" underwent a positive valence shift, linked to its higher efficacy. Simultaneously, thrombosis and fearful conceptual associations entered the frame of vaccines, while death changed context, i.e. rather than hopefully preventing deaths, vaccines could be reported as potential causes of death, increasing fear. Our findings expose crucial aspects of the emotional narratives around COVID-19 vaccines adopted by the press, highlighting the need to understand how alternative and mainstream media report vaccination news.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Semeraro
- Computer Science Department, University of Turin, 10149, Turin, Italy
| | - Salvatore Vilella
- Computer Science Department, University of Turin, 10149, Turin, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Ruffo
- Computer Science Department, University of Turin, 10149, Turin, Italy
| | - Massimo Stella
- CogNosco Lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK.
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Abstract
Introduction Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, with symptoms similar to those seen in smallpox patients, although the clinical presentation may be less severe. Until recently, human monkeypox infection was rare, and primarily occurred in Central and West Africa. Areas covered An international outbreak began in May 2022, and monkeypox has now been detected on every continent except Antarctica. The first recognized case from the current outbreak was confirmed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2022, in an adult with travel links to Nigeria, but it has been suggested that cases had been spreading in Europe for months. On 23 July 2022 the Director-General of the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Expert opinion There are no treatments specifically for monkeypox virus infections. However, monkeypox and smallpox viruses are genetically similar, and therapeutics developed to combat smallpox may be used to treat monkeypox. This manuscripts reviews what is known about these potential treatments, including tecovirimat and brincidofovir, based on a literature search of PubMed through 9 August 2022, and explores how these therapeutics may be used in the future to address the expanding monkeypox pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W McCarthy
- Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, Box 130, New York, NY, 10065
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Cinelli M, Etta G, Avalle M, Quattrociocchi A, Di Marco N, Valensise C, Galeazzi A, Quattrociocchi W. Conspiracy theories and social media platforms. Curr Opin Psychol 2022; 47:101407. [PMID: 35868169 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Conspiracy theories proliferate online. We provide an overview of information consumption patterns related to conspiracy content on four mainstream social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit), with a focus on niche ones. Opinion polarisation and echo chambers appear as pivotal elements of communication around conspiracy theories. A relevant role may also be played by the content moderation policies enforced by each social media platform. Banning contents or users from a social media could lead to a level of user segregation that goes beyond echo chambers and reaches the entire social media space, up to the formation of 'echo platforms'. The insurgence of echo platforms is a new online phenomenon that needs to be investigated as it could foster many dangerous phenomena that we observe online, including the spreading of conspiracy theories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Cinelli
- Sapienza University of Rome - Department of Computer Science Viale Regina Elena, 295, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Etta
- Sapienza University of Rome - Department of Computer Science Viale Regina Elena, 295, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Avalle
- Sapienza University of Rome - Department of Computer Science Viale Regina Elena, 295, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Quattrociocchi
- Sapienza University of Rome - Department of Computer Science Viale Regina Elena, 295, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Niccolò Di Marco
- University of Florence, - Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Viale Giovanni Battista Morgagni, 67/a, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Carlo Valensise
- Enrico Fermi Research Center, Piazza del Viminale 1, Rome 00184, Italy
| | - Alessandro Galeazzi
- Ca' Foscari, University of Venice - Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Via Torino 155, 30172 Mestre Italy
| | - Walter Quattrociocchi
- Sapienza University of Rome - Department of Computer Science Viale Regina Elena, 295, 00100 Rome, Italy.
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Oliva G, Schlueter M, Munetomo M, Scala A. Dynamical intervention planning against COVID-19-like epidemics. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269830. [PMID: 35700170 PMCID: PMC9197046 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 has got us to face a new situation where, for the lack of ready-to-use vaccines, it is necessary to support vaccination with complex non-pharmaceutical strategies. In this paper, we provide a novel Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming formulation for fine-grained optimal intervention planning (i.e., at the level of the single day) against newborn epidemics like COVID-19, where a modified SIR model accounting for heterogeneous population classes, social distancing and several types of vaccines (each with its efficacy and delayed effects), allows us to plan an optimal mixed strategy (both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical) that takes into account both the vaccine availability in limited batches at selected time instants and the need for second doses while keeping hospitalizations and intensive care occupancy below a threshold and requiring that new infections die out at the end of the planning horizon. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed formulation, we analyze a case study for Italy with realistic parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Oliva
- Unit of Automatic Control, Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Martin Schlueter
- Information Initiative Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | - Antonio Scala
- CNR-ISC, Applico Lab, Roma, Italy
- Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Roma, Italy
- Big Data in Health Society, Roma, Italy
- Global Health Security Agenda - GHSA, Roma, Italy
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35
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Etta G, Galeazzi A, Hutchings JR, James Smith CS, Conti M, Quattrociocchi W, Riva GVD. COVID-19 infodemic on Facebook and containment measures in Italy, United Kingdom and New Zealand. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267022. [PMID: 35587480 PMCID: PMC9119508 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by a social media “infodemic”: an overabundance of information whose authenticity may not always be guaranteed. With the potential to lead individuals to harmful decisions for the society, this infodemic represents a severe threat to information security, public health and democracy. In this paper, we assess the interplay between the infodemic and specific aspects of the pandemic, such as the number of cases, the strictness of containment measures, and the news media coverage. We perform a comparative study on three countries that employed different managements of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020—namely Italy, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. We first analyze the three countries from an epidemiological perspective to characterize the impact of the pandemic and the strictness of the restrictions adopted. Then, we collect a total of 6 million posts from Facebook to describe user news consumption behaviors with respect to the reliability of such posts. Finally, we quantify the relationship between the number of posts published in each of the three countries and the number of confirmed cases, the strictness of the restrictions adopted, and the online news media coverage about the pandemic. Our results show that posts referring to reliable sources are consistently predominant in the news circulation, and that users engage more with reliable posts rather than with posts referring to questionable sources. Furthermore, our modelling results suggest that factors related to the epidemiological and informational ecosystems can serve as proxies to assess the evolution of the infodemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Etta
- Center of Data Science and Complexity for Society, Department of Computer Science, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Alessandro Galeazzi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
| | - Jamie Ray Hutchings
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, Canterbury, New Zealand
| | | | - Mauro Conti
- Department of Mathematics, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Walter Quattrociocchi
- Center of Data Science and Complexity for Society, Department of Computer Science, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
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36
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Marcelin JR, del Rio C, Spec A, Swartz TH. Digital Strategy and Social Media for Infectious Diseases. Clin Infect Dis 2022; 74:S219-S221. [PMID: 35568476 PMCID: PMC9107376 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This supplement demonstrates the profound reach of social media across several domains: improved clinical care and advocacy, data analysis, broad reach to diverse patient populations, educational access, best practices in medical education, peer review, digital strategy for individuals and institutions, and combating misinformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine R Marcelin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Carlos del Rio
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Andrej Spec
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USAand
| | - Talia H Swartz
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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37
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Chiu NC, Lo KH, Chen CC, Huang SY, Weng SL, Wang CJ, Kuo HH, Chi H, Lien CH, Tai YL, Lin CY. The impact of COVID-19 on routine vaccinations in Taiwan and an unexpected surge of pneumococcal vaccination. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2022; 18:2071079. [PMID: 35561305 PMCID: PMC9359358 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2071079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had substantial impacts, including disruptions in routine vaccinations. In Taiwan, COVID-19 was relatively controllable, and the reduction in routine vaccinations was not profound. The impact of the pandemic on vaccination remained unclear. We collected vaccination uptake data at our hospital and analyzed the weekly trends of different vaccines. We calculated the monthly number of vaccinations and compared consumption before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (year 2019 vs years 2020 and 2021). Except for self-paid pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV13), a mild (14.6%, p < .001) monthly decrease in government-funded routine vaccination and a moderate (28.2%, p = .018) monthly decrease in self-paid vaccination were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, an unexpected surge of PCV13 vaccination occurred with a 355.8% increase. The shortage of COVID-19 vaccines and the potential benefits of PCV13 against COVID-19 may have contributed to this surge. In conclusion, our study found an obvious disruption of vaccination rates in Taiwan during the COVID-19 epidemic. However, an increase in PCV13 vaccination was also observed, and the important role of the infodemic was emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan-Chang Chiu
- Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Children's Hospital, Taipei city, Taiwan.,Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei city, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Hsun Lo
- Department of Pharmacy, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Chu Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan.,Teaching Center of Natural Science, Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Yu Huang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan.,Teaching Center of Natural Science, Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Long Weng
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei city, Taiwan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Jen Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Huai Kuo
- Department of Pharmacy, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Hsin Chi
- Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Children's Hospital, Taipei city, Taiwan.,Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei city, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Hone Lien
- Department of Pediatrics, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Lin Tai
- Department of Pediatrics, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Yu Lin
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei city, Taiwan.,Department of Pediatrics, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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38
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Cognitive Networks Extract Insights on COVID-19 Vaccines from English and Italian Popular Tweets: Anticipation, Logistics, Conspiracy and Loss of Trust. BIG DATA AND COGNITIVE COMPUTING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/bdcc6020052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring social discourse about COVID-19 vaccines is key to understanding how large populations perceive vaccination campaigns. This work reconstructs how popular and trending posts framed semantically and emotionally COVID-19 vaccines on Twitter. We achieve this by merging natural language processing, cognitive network science and AI-based image analysis. We focus on 4765 unique popular tweets in English or Italian about COVID-19 vaccines between December 2020 and March 2021. One popular English tweet contained in our data set was liked around 495,000 times, highlighting how popular tweets could cognitively affect large parts of the population. We investigate both text and multimedia content in tweets and build a cognitive network of syntactic/semantic associations in messages, including emotional cues and pictures. This network representation indicates how online users linked ideas in social discourse and framed vaccines along specific semantic/emotional content. The English semantic frame of “vaccine” was highly polarised between trust/anticipation (towards the vaccine as a scientific asset saving lives) and anger/sadness (mentioning critical issues with dose administering). Semantic associations with “vaccine,” “hoax” and conspiratorial jargon indicated the persistence of conspiracy theories and vaccines in extremely popular English posts. Interestingly, these were absent in Italian messages. Popular tweets with images of people wearing face masks used language that lacked the trust and joy found in tweets showing people with no masks. This difference indicates a negative effect attributed to face-covering in social discourse. Behavioural analysis revealed a tendency for users to share content eliciting joy, sadness and disgust and to like sad messages less. Both patterns indicate an interplay between emotions and content diffusion beyond sentiment. After its suspension in mid-March 2021, “AstraZeneca” was associated with trustful language driven by experts. After the deaths of a small number of vaccinated people in mid-March, popular Italian tweets framed “vaccine” by crucially replacing earlier levels of trust with deep sadness. Our results stress how cognitive networks and innovative multimedia processing open new ways for reconstructing online perceptions about vaccines and trust.
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Exploring the Association between Misinformation Endorsement, Opinions on the Government Response, Risk Perception, and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the US, Canada, and Italy. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10050671. [PMID: 35632427 PMCID: PMC9147457 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10050671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the adverse consequences created by an infodemic, specifically bringing attention to compliance with public health guidance and vaccine uptake. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a complex construct that is related to health beliefs, misinformation exposure, and perceptions of governmental institutions. This study draws on theoretical models and current data on the COVID-19 infodemic to explore the association between the perceived risk of COVID-19, level of misinformation endorsement, and opinions about the government response on vaccine uptake. We surveyed a sample of 2697 respondents from the US, Canada, and Italy using a mobile platform between 21–28 May 2021. Using multivariate regression, we found that country of residence, risk perception of contracting and spreading COVID-19, perception of government response and transparency, and misinformation endorsement were associated with the odds of vaccine hesitancy. Higher perceived risk was associated with lower odds of hesitancy, while lower perceptions of government response and higher misinformation endorsement were associated with higher hesitancy.
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40
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Chiolero A. How infodemic intoxicates public health surveillance: from a big to a slow data culture. J Epidemiol Community Health 2022; 76:623-625. [PMID: 35135859 DOI: 10.1136/jech-2021-216584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Chiolero
- Population Health Laboratory, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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41
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Alexandridi M, Mazej J, Palermo E, Hiscott J. The Coronavirus Pandemic – 2022: Viruses, Variants & Vaccines. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2022; 63:1-9. [PMID: 35216872 PMCID: PMC8839804 DOI: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019–2020, Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews has published several Special Issues focused on the biology, pathogenesis and therapeutic options in the treatment of COVID-19 infection, including articles on the involvement of the chemokine system in the cytokine storm in COVID-19, intervention in the early stages of COVID-19 pneumonia, the therapeutic value of corticosteroid treatment, early clinical intervention with type 1 interferons, progress in vaccine development, and organ specific complications of COVID-19. By 2022, multiple highly efficacious vaccines are available and are being administered in countries around the world, therapeutic options have been clinically evaluated and approved, and SARS-CoV-2 has arguably become the most thoroughly studied virus in history. But, with progress has also come unanticipated problems – misinformation, anti-vaxxers, opposition to protective masks, and politically motivated interference disguised as knowledge. With this issue of CGFR, we continue to document the global coronavirus pandemic and provide an update on the emergence of viral variants, the global effort to administer vaccines and the impediments to progress posed by misinformation and anti-vaccine sentiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Chiolero
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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