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ALLGOEWER KRISTINA. Determinants of public interest in emerging and re-emerging arboviral diseases in Europe: A spatio-temporal analysis of cross-sectional time series data. JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AND HYGIENE 2022; 63:E579-E597. [PMID: 36891003 PMCID: PMC9986980 DOI: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.4.2736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Climate change, the resulting geographical expansion of arthropod disease vectors, and increasing international mobility are contributing to the emergence of arboviral diseases in Europe. Public interest in vector-borne diseases and a subsequent gain of awareness and knowledge are essential to control outbreaks but had not yet been systematically assessed prior to this analysis. Methods Trends, patterns, and determinants of public interest in six emerging and re-emerging arboviral diseases were assessed in a spatio-temporal analysis of Google Trends data from 30 European countries between 2008 and 2020 while controlling for potential confounders. Results Only public interest in endemic arboviral diseases in Europe displays seasonal patterns and has been increasing since 2008, while no significant patterns or trends could be determined for public interest in non-endemic diseases. The main drivers for public interest in all six analysed arboviral diseases are reported case rates, and public interest drops rapidly as soon as cases decline. For Germany, the correlation of public interest and the geographical distribution of locally-acquired reported cases of endemic arboviral infections could be shown on a sub-country level. Conclusions The results of the analysis indicate that public interest in arboviral diseases in Europe is heavily impacted by perceived susceptibility on a temporal as well as on a spatial level. This result may be crucial for the design of future public health interventions to alert the public to the increasing risk of infection with arboviral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- KRISTINA ALLGOEWER
- Correspondence: Kristina Allgoewer, Universität Hamburg Faculty of Informatics, Mathematics & Natural Sciences, Welckerstr. 8, Room 6.12, D-20354 Hamburg, Germany. Tel.: +49 171 128 19 33 - E-mail:
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Bravo C, Castells VB, Zietek-Gutsch S, Bodin PA, Molony C, Frühwein M. Using social media listening and data mining to understand travellers' perspectives on travel disease risks and vaccine-related attitudes and behaviours. J Travel Med 2022; 29:6515801. [PMID: 35085399 PMCID: PMC8944297 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taac009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Travellers can access online information to research and plan their expeditions/excursions, and seek travel-related health information. We explored German travellers' attitude and behaviour toward vaccination, and their travel-related health information seeking activities. METHODS We used two approaches: web 'scraping' of comments on German travel-related sites and an online survey. 'Scraping' of travel-related sites was undertaken using keywords/synonyms to identify vaccine- and disease-related posts. The raw unstructured text extracted from online comments was converted to a structured dataset using Natural Language Processing Techniques. Traveller personas were defined using K-means based on the online survey results, with cluster (i.e. persona) descriptions made from the most discriminant features in a distinguished set of observations. The web-scraped profiles were mapped to the personas identified. Travel and vaccine-related behaviours were described for each persona. RESULTS We identified ~2.6 million comments; ~880 k were unique and mentioned ~280 k unique trips by ~65 k unique profiles. Most comments were on destinations in Europe (37%), Africa (21%), Southeast Asia (12%) and the Middle East (11%). Eight personas were identified: 'middle-class family woman', 'young woman travelling with partner', 'female globe-trotter', 'upper-class active man', 'single male traveller', 'retired traveller', 'young backpacker', and 'visiting friends and relatives'. Purpose of travel was leisure in 82-94% of profiles, except the 'visiting friends and relatives' persona. Malaria and rabies were the most commented diseases with 12.7 k and 6.6 k comments, respectively. The 'middle-class family woman' and the 'upper-class active man' personas were the most active in online conversations regarding endemic disease and vaccine-related topics, representing 40% and 19% of comments, respectively. Vaccination rates were 54%-71% across the traveller personas in the online survey. Reasons for vaccination reluctance included perception of low risk to disease exposure (21%), price (14%), fear of side effects (12%) and number of vaccines (11%). CONCLUSIONS The information collated on German traveller personas and behaviours toward vaccinations should help guide counselling by healthcare professionals.
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Li J, Xu Q, Cuomo R, Purushothaman V, Mackey T. Data Mining and Content Analysis of the Chinese Social Media Platform Weibo During the Early COVID-19 Outbreak: Retrospective Observational Infoveillance Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2020; 6:e18700. [PMID: 32293582 PMCID: PMC7175787 DOI: 10.2196/18700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which began in Wuhan, China in December 2019, is rapidly spreading worldwide with over 1.9 million cases as of mid-April 2020. Infoveillance approaches using social media can help characterize disease distribution and public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors critical to the early stages of an outbreak. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to conduct a quantitative and qualitative assessment of Chinese social media posts originating in Wuhan City on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS Chinese-language messages from Wuhan were collected for 39 days between December 23, 2019, and January 30, 2020, on Weibo. For quantitative analysis, the total daily cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan were obtained from the Chinese National Health Commission, and a linear regression model was used to determine if Weibo COVID-19 posts were predictive of the number of cases reported. Qualitative content analysis and an inductive manual coding approach were used to identify parent classifications of news and user-generated COVID-19 topics. RESULTS A total of 115,299 Weibo posts were collected during the study time frame consisting of an average of 2956 posts per day (minimum 0, maximum 13,587). Quantitative analysis found a positive correlation between the number of Weibo posts and the number of reported cases from Wuhan, with approximately 10 more COVID-19 cases per 40 social media posts (P<.001). This effect size was also larger than what was observed for the rest of China excluding Hubei Province (where Wuhan is the capital city) and held when comparing the number of Weibo posts to the incidence proportion of cases in Hubei Province. Qualitative analysis of 11,893 posts during the first 21 days of the study period with COVID-19-related posts uncovered four parent classifications including Weibo discussions about the causative agent of the disease, changing epidemiological characteristics of the outbreak, public reaction to outbreak control and response measures, and other topics. Generally, these themes also exhibited public uncertainty and changing knowledge and attitudes about COVID-19, including posts exhibiting both protective and higher-risk behaviors. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study provide initial insight into the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of Chinese social media data at the initial epicenter in Wuhan City. Future studies should continue to explore the utility of social media data to predict COVID-19 disease severity, measure public reaction and behavior, and evaluate effectiveness of outbreak communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Li
- Department of Anesthesiology and Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
- S-3 Research LLC, San Diego, CA, United States
- Department of Healthcare Research and Policy, University of California San Diego Extension, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Global Health Policy Institute, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Qing Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
- S-3 Research LLC, San Diego, CA, United States
- Department of Healthcare Research and Policy, University of California San Diego Extension, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Global Health Policy Institute, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Raphael Cuomo
- Department of Anesthesiology and Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Global Health Policy Institute, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Vidya Purushothaman
- Department of Anesthesiology and Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Global Health Policy Institute, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Tim Mackey
- Department of Anesthesiology and Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
- S-3 Research LLC, San Diego, CA, United States
- Department of Healthcare Research and Policy, University of California San Diego Extension, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Global Health Policy Institute, San Diego, CA, United States
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Watad A, Watad S, Mahroum N, Sharif K, Amital H, Bragazzi NL, Adawi M. Forecasting the West Nile Virus in the United States: An Extensive Novel Data Streams-Based Time Series Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling of Related Digital Searching Behavior. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2019; 5:e9176. [PMID: 30601755 PMCID: PMC6416538 DOI: 10.2196/publichealth.9176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND West Nile virus is an arbovirus responsible for an infection that tends to peak during the late summer and early fall. Tools monitoring Web searches are emerging as powerful sources of data, especially concerning infectious diseases such as West Nile virus. OBJECTIVE This study aimed at exploring the potential predictive power of West Nile virus-related Web searches. METHODS Different novel data streams, including Google Trends, WikiTrends, YouTube, and Google News, were used to extract search trends. Data regarding West Nile virus cases were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data were analyzed using regression, times series analysis, structural equation modeling, and clustering analysis. RESULTS In the regression analysis, an association between Web searches and "real-world" epidemiological figures was found. The best seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model with explicative variable (SARIMAX) was found to be (0,1,1)x(0,1,1)4. Using data from 2004 to 2015, we were able to predict data for 2016. From the structural equation modeling, the consumption of West Nile virus-related news fully mediated the relation between Google Trends and the consumption of YouTube videos, as well as the relation between the latter variable and the number of West Nile virus cases. Web searches fully mediated the relation between epidemiological figures and the consumption of YouTube videos, as well as the relation between epidemiological data and the number of accesses to the West Nile virus-related Wikipedia page. In the clustering analysis, the consumption of news was most similar to the Web searches pattern, which was less close to the consumption of YouTube videos and least similar to the behavior of accessing West Nile virus-related Wikipedia pages. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated an association between epidemiological data and search patterns related to the West Nile virus. Based on this correlation, further studies are needed to examine the practicality of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulla Watad
- Department of Medicine B, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, Israel.,NIHR Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Section of Musculoskeletal Disease, Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, Chapel Allerton Hospital, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Samaa Watad
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Naim Mahroum
- Department of Medicine B, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Kassem Sharif
- Department of Medicine B, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Howard Amital
- Department of Medicine B, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
- Department of Health Sciences, Postgraduate School of Public Health, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Mohammad Adawi
- The Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Zefat, Israel.,Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Zefat, Israel.,Ziv Medical Center, Zefat, Israel
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Mavragani A, Ochoa G, Tsagarakis KP. Assessing the Methods, Tools, and Statistical Approaches in Google Trends Research: Systematic Review. J Med Internet Res 2018; 20:e270. [PMID: 30401664 PMCID: PMC6246971 DOI: 10.2196/jmir.9366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In the era of information overload, are big data analytics the answer to access and better manage available knowledge? Over the last decade, the use of Web-based data in public health issues, that is, infodemiology, has been proven useful in assessing various aspects of human behavior. Google Trends is the most popular tool to gather such information, and it has been used in several topics up to this point, with health and medicine being the most focused subject. Web-based behavior is monitored and analyzed in order to examine actual human behavior so as to predict, better assess, and even prevent health-related issues that constantly arise in everyday life. Objective This systematic review aimed at reporting and further presenting and analyzing the methods, tools, and statistical approaches for Google Trends (infodemiology) studies in health-related topics from 2006 to 2016 to provide an overview of the usefulness of said tool and be a point of reference for future research on the subject. Methods Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for selecting studies, we searched for the term “Google Trends” in the Scopus and PubMed databases from 2006 to 2016, applying specific criteria for types of publications and topics. A total of 109 published papers were extracted, excluding duplicates and those that did not fall inside the topics of health and medicine or the selected article types. We then further categorized the published papers according to their methodological approach, namely, visualization, seasonality, correlations, forecasting, and modeling. Results All the examined papers comprised, by definition, time series analysis, and all but two included data visualization. A total of 23.1% (24/104) studies used Google Trends data for examining seasonality, while 39.4% (41/104) and 32.7% (34/104) of the studies used correlations and modeling, respectively. Only 8.7% (9/104) of the studies used Google Trends data for predictions and forecasting in health-related topics; therefore, it is evident that a gap exists in forecasting using Google Trends data. Conclusions The monitoring of online queries can provide insight into human behavior, as this field is significantly and continuously growing and will be proven more than valuable in the future for assessing behavioral changes and providing ground for research using data that could not have been accessed otherwise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaryllis Mavragani
- Department of Computing Science and Mathematics, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Gabriela Ochoa
- Department of Computing Science and Mathematics, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Zeraatkar K, Ahmadi M. Trends of infodemiology studies: a scoping review. Health Info Libr J 2018; 35:91-120. [PMID: 29729073 DOI: 10.1111/hir.12216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The health care industry is rich in data and information. Web technologies, such as search engines and social media, have provided an opportunity for the management of user generated data in real time in the form of infodemiology studies. The aim of this study was to investigate infodemiology studies conducted during 2002-2016, and compare them based on developed, developing and in transition countries. METHODS This scoping review was conducted in 2017 with the help of the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Wiley and Springer databases were searched between the years 2002 and 2016. Finally, 56 articles were included in the review and analysed. RESULTS The initial infodemiology studies pertain to the quality assessment of the hospital's websites. Most of the studies were on developed countries, based on flu, and published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. CONCLUSION The infodemiology approach provides unmatched opportunities for the management of health data and information generated by the users. Using this potential will provide unique opportunities for the health information need assessment in real time by health librarians and thereby provide evidence based health information to the people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimia Zeraatkar
- Department of Health Information Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Ahmadi
- Department of Health Information Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Abstract
Nowadays, the Internet is the major source to obtain information about diseases and their treatments. The Internet is gaining relevance in the neurological setting, considering the possibility of timely social interaction, contributing to general public awareness on otherwise less-well-known neurological conditions, promoting health equity and improving the health-related coping. Neurological patients can easily find several online opportunities for peer interactions and learning. On the other hand, neurologist can analyze user-generated data to better understand patient needs and to run epidemiological studies. Indeed, analyses of queries from Internet search engines on certain neurological diseases have shown a strict temporal and spatial correlation with the "real world." In this narrative review, we will discuss how the Internet is radically affecting the healthcare of people with neurological disorders and, most importantly, is shifting the paradigm of care from the hands of those who deliver care, into the hands of those who receive it. Besides, we will review possible limitations, such as safety concerns, financial issues, and the need for easy-to-access platforms.
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Gianfredi V, Bragazzi NL, Nucci D, Martini M, Rosselli R, Minelli L, Moretti M. Harnessing Big Data for Communicable Tropical and Sub-Tropical Disorders: Implications From a Systematic Review of the Literature. Front Public Health 2018; 6:90. [PMID: 29619364 PMCID: PMC5871696 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim According to the World Health Organization (WHO), communicable tropical and sub-tropical diseases occur solely, or mainly in the tropics, thriving in hot, and humid conditions. Some of these disorders termed as neglected tropical diseases are particularly overlooked. Communicable tropical/sub-tropical diseases represent a diverse group of communicable disorders occurring in 149 countries, favored by tropical and sub-tropical conditions, affecting more than one billion people and imposing a dramatic societal and economic burden. Methods A systematic review of the extant scholarly literature was carried out, searching in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. The search string used included proper keywords, like big data, nontraditional data sources, social media, social networks, infodemiology, infoveillance, novel data streams (NDS), digital epidemiology, digital behavior, Google Trends, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Ebola, Zika, dengue, Chikungunya, Chagas, and the other neglected tropical diseases. Results 47 original, observational studies were included in the current systematic review: 1 focused on Chikungunya, 6 on dengue, 19 on Ebola, 2 on Malaria, 1 on Mayaro virus, 2 on West Nile virus, and 16 on Zika. Fifteen were dedicated on developing and validating forecasting techniques for real-time monitoring of neglected tropical diseases, while the remaining studies investigated public reaction to infectious outbreaks. Most studies explored a single nontraditional data source, with Twitter being the most exploited tool (25 studies). Conclusion Even though some studies have shown the feasibility of utilizing NDS as an effective tool for predicting epidemic outbreaks and disseminating accurate, high-quality information concerning neglected tropical diseases, some gaps should be properly underlined. Out of the 47 articles included, only 7 were focusing on neglected tropical diseases, while all the other covered communicable tropical/sub-tropical diseases, and the main determinant of this unbalanced coverage seems to be the media impact and resonance. Furthermore, efforts in integrating diverse NDS should be made. As such, taking into account these limitations, further research in the field is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza Gianfredi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Post Graduate School in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | | | - Daniele Nucci
- Digestive Endoscopy Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Mariano Martini
- Section of History of Medicine and Ethics, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Roberto Rosselli
- Hygiene and Public Health Unit, Local Health Unit 3 of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Liliana Minelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Massimo Moretti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Unit of Public Health, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
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Mahroum N, Watad A, Rosselli R, Brigo F, Chiesa V, Siri A, Ben-Ami Shor D, Martini M, Bragazzi NL, Adawi M. An infodemiological investigation of the so-called "Fluad effect" during the 2014/2015 influenza vaccination campaign in Italy: Ethical and historical implications. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2018; 14:712-718. [PMID: 29293392 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1420448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza vaccines represent a major tool to contain the clinical and epidemiological burden generated by influenza. However, in spite of their effectiveness, vaccines are victims of prejudices and false myths, which contribute to the increasing phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy and loss of confidence. Media and, mainly, new media, and information and communication technologies play a major role in disseminating health-related information. While, on the one hand, they can be extremely promising in promoting disease prevention, on the other hand, they can also have a negative impact on population's health attitudes and behaviors when delivering information not based on scientific evidences. The "Fluad-case" is an excellent example of the crucial role of an adequate information campaign. Following the cluster of deaths allegedly related to the administration of the adjuvanted influenza vaccine "Fluad" during the 2014-2015 influenza campaign, the Italian health authorities and regulatory bodies decided the withdrawal of two potentially contaminated Fluad batches. This fostered a huge media coverage, with resulted in negatively impacting on influenza vaccination coverage. Monitoring and tracking the Fluad-related web searches, we showed that Liguria resulted the Italian region with the highest number of Fluad-related website searches and that, interestingly, Fluad was searched also in Regions in which this vaccine was not distributed. A positive moderate correlation between accessing Fluad-related websites and overall influenza vaccination coverage was found (r = 0.66 ([95%CI 0.29-0.86], p = 0.0026). Considering subjects ≥65 years, who are the subjects for which the Fluad vaccination is recommended, the correlation resulted r = 0.49 ([95%CI 0.03-0.78], p = 0.0397). As such, health authorities and decision-makers should promote high-quality communication campaigns in order to raise awareness of vaccination practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naim Mahroum
- a Department of Medicine 'B' , Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv , Israel
| | - Abdulla Watad
- a Department of Medicine 'B' , Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv , Israel
| | - Roberto Rosselli
- b Local Health Unit 3 of Genoa (ASL3 Genovese), Hygiene and Public Health Unit , Genoa , Italy
| | - Francesco Brigo
- c Department of Neuroscience , Biomedicine and Movement Science, University of Verona, Verona and Division of Neurology, "Franz Tappeiner" Hospital , Merano , Italy
| | - Valentina Chiesa
- d Department of Biomedical , Biotechnological and Translational Sciences, University of Parma , Parma , Italy
| | - Anna Siri
- e UNESCO CHAIR "Anthropology of Health - Biosphere and Healing System", University of Genoa, Genoa and Department of Mathematics (DIMA) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy
| | - Dana Ben-Ami Shor
- f Department of Gastroenterology , Sheba Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv , Israel
| | - Mariano Martini
- e UNESCO CHAIR "Anthropology of Health - Biosphere and Healing System", University of Genoa, Genoa and Department of Mathematics (DIMA) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.,g Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy
| | - Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
- e UNESCO CHAIR "Anthropology of Health - Biosphere and Healing System", University of Genoa, Genoa and Department of Mathematics (DIMA) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.,g Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL) , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy
| | - Mohammad Adawi
- h Padeh and Ziv hospitals, Bar-Ilan University, Faculty of Medicine , Zefat , Israel
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Adawi M, Bragazzi NL, Watad A, Sharif K, Amital H, Mahroum N. Discrepancies Between Classic and Digital Epidemiology in Searching for the Mayaro Virus: Preliminary Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Google Trends. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2017; 3:e93. [PMID: 29196278 PMCID: PMC5732327 DOI: 10.2196/publichealth.9136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mayaro virus (MAYV), first discovered in Trinidad in 1954, is spread by the Haemagogus mosquito. Small outbreaks have been described in the past in the Amazon jungles of Brazil and other parts of South America. Recently, a case was reported in rural Haiti. Objective Given the emerging importance of MAYV, we aimed to explore the feasibility of exploiting a Web-based tool for monitoring and tracking MAYV cases. Methods Google Trends is an online tracking system. A Google-based approach is particularly useful to monitor especially infectious diseases epidemics. We searched Google Trends from its inception (from January 2004 through to May 2017) for MAYV-related Web searches worldwide. Results We noted a burst in search volumes in the period from July 2016 (relative search volume [RSV]=13%) to December 2016 (RSV=18%), with a peak in September 2016 (RSV=100%). Before this burst, the average search activity related to MAYV was very low (median 1%). MAYV-related queries were concentrated in the Caribbean. Scientific interest from the research community and media coverage affected digital seeking behavior. Conclusions MAYV has always circulated in South America. Its recent appearance in the Caribbean has been a source of concern, which resulted in a burst of Internet queries. While Google Trends cannot be used to perform real-time epidemiological surveillance of MAYV, it can be exploited to capture the public’s reaction to outbreaks. Public health workers should be aware of this, in that information and communication technologies could be used to communicate with users, reassure them about their concerns, and to empower them in making decisions affecting their health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Adawi
- Padeh and Ziv Hospitals, Bar-Ilan Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Zafat, Israel
| | - Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
- Postgraduate School of Public Health, Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society Nazareth Hospital, Nazareth, Israel
| | - Abdulla Watad
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Medicine 'B', Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Kassem Sharif
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Medicine 'B', Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Howard Amital
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Medicine 'B', Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Naim Mahroum
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Medicine 'B', Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
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