Global Challenge of Health Communication: Infodemia in the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic

The Coronavirus Response in India – World's Largest Lockdown

How the Mainstream Media Help to Spread Disinformation about Covid-19

OPINION article Front. Big Data, 01 June 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fdata.2021.623794

Managing the infodemic about COVID-19: Strategies for clinicians and researchers.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global phenomenon to which state governments have been forced to take unprecedented action. According to the scientific community, the most effective way to return to normalcy is to vaccinate a large percentage of citizens. However, the short period of time in which the first types of vaccines were created creates an insecurity and reluctance towards vaccines, which, however, is evolving into a global phenomenon. Of course, vaccine-related misinformation on coronavirus, which poses a serious threat not only to public health but also to national security and the global economy, also plays a role. Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate and clarify the risk of misinformation arising in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination. In addition, it carries out a development of the reasons that push the population to movements of distrust and challenge through a literature review in research studies that collect data on the anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue is a burning issue in everyday life and is of particular interest because it undermines the impact of media misinformation on disseminating false news and shaping views against public health and the well-being of the population, promoting panic and fear. Methods & Material: The material used for this study is a product of systematic review and critical evaluation of the most important published articles and studies in the international printed and electronic literature, as well as technical manuals and legislation by international governmental and non-governmental organizations regarding the risk of misinformation arising in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination. In order to approach the development of the anti-vaccination movement and its presentation through the media, as well as the risk posed by this issue for Public Health, the methodology of the systematic literature review was chosen, using the PRISMA analysis, studies of the international literature related to the issue. The search was conducted through the online academic research databases of Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus, with the limitation that the studies have been carried out in the last 4 years. Results: Following the methodology of the PRISMA analysis and after the exclusion of some articles, the research ended up focusing on 11 articles that met the criteria of the research and which were included in the review. The results of the research showed that participants are not able to distinguish between true and false content of events and news posted and shared on social networks related to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination issues. In addition, the dissemination of information seems to be guided by the interaction that characterizes each social media as well as by the specific patterns of interaction of user groups dealing with the issue. However, although social media is recognized as a major source of misinformation regarding COVID-19 and vaccination issues, the same problem is found in the print media and a more rigorous evaluation of the information by their authors is recommended. Finally, when the use of the Internet poses risks to public health, governments should develop strategies for controlling health information on the Internet, but without censoring the population. Conclusions: In the present systematic literature review, misinformation is evaluated as an important factor in dealing with the pandemic. Accompanied by false information, the content of the media and social networking is hampering the efforts of the global community. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) and other stakeholders are aware of the misinformation and are trying to reduce it, myths and rumors are widespread. This review identifies the carriers of misinformation and its possible effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven research articles published from 2017 to 2020 were selected, the findings of which misinformation appears to be a strong risk factor and a significant obstacle to tackling the global health crisis. Myths and rumors through traditional and new platforms of news and social media cause xenophobia, human rights violations and psychological disorders in the population. Despite the efforts of the World Health Organization, much more is needed to neutralize the effects of misinformation. Improved global health care policies and strategies are therefore recommended to combat misinformation and mitigate the related effects of COVID-19. Key-words: Vaccine Movement, COVID-19 Legislation, Misinformation, Mass Media, Public Health, Fake News, Conspiracy Theories

In the past few years, and with COVID-19 most recently, we have been reminded of the importance of robust public health monitoring programs as they relate to birth defects surveillance, research, and prevention. With the never-ending appearance of new exposures—such as novel medications, infections, vaccines, chemicals, herbal products, and substances of abuse— it is vital that public health agencies are sufficiently prepared to evaluate the impact of these exposures on the occurrence of birth defects and to evaluate the presence of new birth defect syndromes. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to not only conduct birth defects surveillance but also to mitigate the impact of birth defects. As an example, in this editorial we propose a framework for a stronger collaboration between National Birth Defect Prevention Network (NBDPN) and the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) with the goal of addressing the impact of novel and existing exposures on the occurrence of birth defects. COVID-19 is not the first, nor the last, illness that will be monitored for its effects on pregnancy and birth outcomes. When Zika Virus (ZV) emerged in the Americas, the NBDPN and OTIS, including its local MotherToBaby affiliates, responded alongside other international partners such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). During the early stages of the pandemic, given the news reports and early scientific publications, birth defects and teratology experts suspected the teratogenic effects of ZV. Pregnancies and newborn health outcomes were subsequently monitored. Early on, and without clear scientific evidence, public health messaging urged pregnant women to avoid contracting ZV. Reports of microcephaly and other brain anomalies in Zika-exposed infants appeared in the clinical literature and in the media. Suspicions grew that ZV could cause birth defects. In a relatively short period of time, sufficient peer-reviewed evidence was gathered for experts to clearly state “that a causal relationship exists between prenatal Zika virus infection and microcephaly and other serious brain anomalies” and to urge movement “toward the prevention of adverse outcomes caused by congenital Zika virus infection” (Rasmussen, Jamieson, Honein, & Petersen, 2016). Following this statement, organizations such as OTIS and NBDPN worked together to craft more specific public health messages and engage in prevention efforts. Although ZV was not widespread in the United States (US), the lessons learned from ZV (Harris-Sagaribay et al., 2020) apply to our current threat of COVID-19. Strategic and proactive collaboration among government agencies, professional societies, and healthcare organizations builds the intangible infrastructure needed to protect mothers and babies from ongoing threats and helps promote healthy birth outcomes. When faced with a pandemic or other public health crisis, timely collaboration among scientific organizations contributes to successful disease response. NBDPN and OTIS are two organizations working to establish such a collaboration. These organizations fulfill different but complementary roles in identifying, educating about, and preventing adverse birth outcomes within and outside the context of pandemics. The NBDPN works with programs in all states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia to conduct surveillance of birth defects, associated risk factors, and outcomes. It is comprised of individuals involved in birth defects surveillance, research, and prevention. Created to establish and maintain a national network of state and population-based programs for birth defects surveillance and research, NBDPN assesses the impact of birth defects upon children, families, and health care; identifies factors that can be used to develop primary prevention strategies; and assists families and their providers in secondary disabilities prevention. NBDPN analyses of surveillance data identify birth defects outcomes and associated demographic, genetic, and environmental risk factors through multi-site surveillance and research. NBDPN members and their colleagues have developed expertise in identifying and reporting on birth defects and developmental delays. While specifics vary, some local programs collect information from medical records of births, interviews with parents, and/or DNA tests; many have clinical geneticists review cases to ensure correct classification; and records are linked to vital statistics for population-based analysis. Pooling data in annual reports and collaborative studies help to ensure surveillance truly is population-based and nationally representative. More information about NBDPN can be found at www.nbdpn.org. OTIS works with the fourteen teratogen information services (MotherToBaby affiliates) across the US and covers all states and territories to influence research and provide health education to the public and clinicians. OTIS's members, teratogen information specialists, span the globe beyond those affiliates within the US. Some of the services in the US have operated for over 35 years, joining forces to establish OTIS as their professional organization (Leen-Mitchell, Martinez, Gallegos, Robertson, & Carey, 2000). OTIS's defining role has been providing teratogen information to the public, through its service arm MotherToBaby which serves women potentially exposed to teratogens during pregnancy as well as providers who care for those pregnant women and require information about potential risk of specific exposures, prescriptions or recommended medications (Clementi & Ornoy, 2004). OTIS/MotherToBaby answers thousands of questions each year about a wide range of exposures including cleaning products, cosmetics, occupational exposures, vaccines, diseases, substances of abuse, and medications (Campbell, Kast, Kamyar, Robertson, & Sherwin, 2016). MotherToBaby specialists counter the inaccurate information about teratogens often found online by patients and clinicians. Furthermore, providers and the public often lack the time and training to interpret large amounts of research and have inaccurate perceptions of risks from exposures (Conover & Polifka, 2011). Teratogen information specialists are experienced in reviewing studies, comparing outcomes, and translating health information for consumers. More information about OTIS/MotherToBaby can be found at www.mothertobaby.org. NBDPN and OTIS primarily intersect in five areas which impact disease response: Research, networking, health education, policy development, and workforce development. Given the gaps in knowledge about exposures, OTIS conducts and supports research (Clementi & Ornoy, 2004), and sometimes identifies research needs through routine operations. As local teratogen information services respond to questions from women and their providers, their staff develop a sense of where research and health education is needed. For example, daily concerns brought to OTIS about antidepressants and about supplements such as melatonin highlighted the need for research and education on some new and existing medications. These emerging trends in questions are used to inform future research studies. For most OTIS-led studies, a three-group prospective cohort design follows women with a condition and medication, women with the condition without a medication, and control groups of women who do not have the disease to help determine if the untreated condition increases risks rather than the medication, such as the risks associated with an asthma medication compared with risks of poorly controlled asthma (Chambers et al., 2001). The studies also collect data from maternal interviews and physical examinations of infants by trained dysmorphologists to supplement the data collection. The different research designs, large database studies, prospective cohorts, and surveillance studies, contribute different strengths to piecing together the puzzle of what may increase risks for birth defects, functional problems, or developmental delays. In contrast to the signals OTIS may receive through interaction with individuals, NBDPN members identify research opportunities through population-based birth defects surveillance. In the United States, NBDPN coordinates the collection of birth defects surveillance data and provides guidance to state programs to improve consistency in surveillance. Local birth defects surveillance programs sometimes employ clinicians such as geneticists and dysmorphologists to classify and review cases based on medical records. As clinicians review cases of birth defects in children, they are poised to notice trends in birth defects and exposures. Although each organization currently conducts its own research program, many researchers are involved in both organizations (Rasmussen, Erickson, Reef, & Ross, 2009). NBDPN and OTIS are working to identify more timely feedback mechanisms for sharing signals and events of interest to both organizations. Data, health education messaging, and research collaborations are strategically shared between both organizations. Both organizations engage teratogen experts and share mutually beneficial contacts. Both organizations aspire to provide coordinated, timely, and concurrent messaging on birth defects prevention and findings. OTIS utilizes research from NBDPN and other groups to inform its messages. OTIS/MotherToBaby provides individualized information through client contacts by phone, text, email, and chat in addition to providing traditional and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.) messaging. NBDPN uses social media and research platforms to disseminate surveillance data and health education. Although the two organizations do not currently collaborate to influence policy, there is ample opportunity to do so. The two organizations can provide a unified voice as experts in the areas of birth defects surveillance and prevention to create white papers, policy proposals, and legislative briefs. Second, the organizations can work together under the larger umbrella of organizations interested in birth defects and developmental delays to further accelerate the creation and advocate for useful policies. Professional development opportunities among both organizations refine the skills of those committed to birth defects prevention. OTIS/MotherToBaby provides professional development seminars to improve the skills of teratogen information specialists and to update risk statements. The seminars typically review a research article about an exposure in pregnancy or breastfeeding. Local OTIS affiliates, pharmacists, teratogen database administrators, NBDPN members, clinicians, public health professionals, and others from multiple countries around the world add expertise and clinical experience to the discussion. Other professionals can join OTIS or the seminars by contacting OTIS. Annual meetings and webinars provide topics of interest and continuing education to both groups. OTIS/MotherToBaby collaborates with the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (SBDRP) (formerly the Teratology Society) and the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS) to hold joint, annual educational meetings. The three societies recognize the advantages of combining efforts to provide professional development and networking opportunities for members. While NBDPN as an organization has not collaborated often in these meetings, multiple NBDPN members attend joint meetings as members of the other three organizations, contributing to conference planning in various ways. In March 2020, shortly before the nationwide shutdown for the COVID-19 pandemic, OTIS/MotherToBaby held its Mid-Year Research Meeting co-located with NBDPN's Annual Meeting. This allowed for joint sessions as both organizations sought to foster a stronger partnership and working relationship. Joint, co-located and virtual meetings will continue providing opportunities to support professional development. Cross-training of professionals in these areas of birth defect surveillance and providing teratogen information is essential. Training is time-consuming and expensive, taking months to prepare individuals to begin to work in these fields, and years to become proficient. Understanding the complexities of birth defects and explaining teratogenic exposures to the public are specialized skills. As pandemics rise and fall, there may be more critical, hopefully relatively temporary, need for professionals on the tracking side than on the educating side. After a pandemic subsides, there may be a greater need for interpreting studies, providing public messages, and educating individuals and providers. Complementary and collaborative efforts between health agencies and OTIS have been ongoing: The ZV pandemic demonstrated the flexible but unique and collaborative roles of major players in disease response. CDC, NBDPN, OTIS/MotherToBaby, state birth defects programs, and local MotherToBaby affiliates collaborated to provide consistent messaging nationally and locally to help women avoid exposure to the virus (Harris-Sagaribay et al., 2020). Women who contracted the virus during travel were referred for testing, follow-up, and to the national pregnancy registry. Consistent messages were provided on websites and social media, and in press interviews and printed materials. CDC studied the virus and related outcomes, and provided public health messages. NBDPN and local birth defects registries identified and followed cases. OTIS and local MotherToBaby affiliates answered individual questions from families and their providers and referred women to the registries. With their different roles, the organizations were able to focus their expertise during the pandemic when resources were stretched thin. No single organization performs all of these roles. Having local programs work with national organizations allowed for rapid communication in both directions when challenges arose, and when the government needed data and input on adapting messaging and strategies. At the present time, evidence concerning COVID-19 does not suggest increased risks for structural malformations but other possible adverse outcomes are being monitored. However, the current pandemic provides an opportunity to collaborate and prepare for developments in knowledge about possibly teratogenic viruses (Ludorf, Salemi, Kirby, Tanner, & Agopian, 2020). The population-based surveillance data provided by CDC and programs in NBDPN remains crucial during the pandemic and its aftermath. Population-based surveillance enables tracking structural malformations and developmental disabilities in an organized manner. Now and in the future, clinicians associated with NBDPN programs can be tapped to identify emerging trends from case review. They can also propose research, suggest surveillance ideas, and encourage further research on potentially teratogenic exposures. Even if public health data and messaging are available on teratogens and birth defects, public health professionals rarely interact with individuals in the public. Private medical visits are not a quick source of information. OTIS is uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge between government agencies providing health messaging to individuals and complements the role of medical providers (Kaye et al., 2001). Many providers may be unfamiliar with the nuances of responding to questions about teratogenic exposures or addressing inaccurate information in outdated references or on the internet. The differentiation of roles allows clinical providers to be experts in treating conditions while allowing teratogen information specialists to be experts in explaining the potential teratogenicity of any exposure, including new medications and diseases. In this sense, the work of OTIS can greatly benefit both the public health and private healthcare communities in efficiently communicating health messages. Given the need for the specialized services provided by birth defects surveillance programs and teratogen information services, states and municipalities should consider investing in both programs. Additional funding, potentially from multiple sources including national and state funds, healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical industries, and other organizations, is needed to keep these national organizations and local programs operating. Research has demonstrated that these programs save millions of dollars a year in addition to improving public health by dispelling myths about medications and preventing untreated maternal conditions due to inaccurate information (Luca et al., 2020). Although budgets have been strained and cut across government agencies, OTIS and NBDPN continue to function, often behind-the scenes, ensuring that birth defects data are reviewed and education disseminated. The strategic partnership between NBDPN and OTIS provides an example of how public health infrastructure can be strengthened despite shifting priorities and uncertain funding. Participation from other professional societies and non-governmental organizations (for example, the March of Dimes Foundation, the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, the American College of Obstetricians and Gyneologists, and the American Academy of Pediatrics) can enhance and amplify these collaborative efforts. The current and future work of these organizations will continue to protect maternal and infant health in the United States. In this time of (a) increasing data and information, (b) novel exposures and pathogens, and (c) uncertainty surrounding these issues—it is vital that public health professionals from various backgrounds unite to interpret these data and develop evidence-based recommendations and interventions. Through these efforts, we hope to reduce the impact of new and existing exposures on adverse outcomes—including birth defects. We propose that a first and important step is strengthening the collaboration between the NBDPN—an organization focused on birth defects surveillance, research, and prevention—and OTIS—a society of professionals dedicated to evaluating risks to pregnancy from medications and other exposures. Through this expanded collaboration, we anticipate that effective responses to emerging threats can be implemented in real time, thereby reducing the prevalence and impact of birth defects. Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 pandemic is considered the worst global health crisis in the 21st century that caused unprecedented disruption to many sectors around the world (e.g. education, business, and tourism). Misinformation on social media is one of the major issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, which must be carefully considered. To address this issue, people’s health information-seeking behaviours play an important role to access accurate and reliable information on social media. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire-based study in Myanmar, which is one of the developing countries according to the United Nations to understand university students’ health information-seeking behaviours on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings suggest that social media plays a vital role to spread reliable and accurate information during the pandemic. The role of governments and authorities is also important to effectively use social media platforms (e.g. Facebook) to reach out to the public so that they can spread timely and accurate information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, users need to assess and verify the credibility of information related to pandemics on social media when they seek health-related information. This study suggests opportunities for further research in health information seeking on social media.KeywordsCOVID-19 pandemicHealth information-seeking BehaviourSocial media

Harnessing star power: public figure engagement in GI health promotion in the digital age

Background and objectives Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer, and vaccination is an effective method to prevent HPV infection. In Japan, adverse reactions were reported in some HPV-vaccinated people in March 2013, and while Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare withdrew active recommendation of the vaccine in June 2013, the social movement to refuse vaccination has continued. The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) has devised a plan to accurately disseminate information that promotes vaccination, but less than 1% of the eligible population was vaccinated, and the number has not increased. Besides, inaccurate information about health information can disseminate rapidly on social networks. Social networking services (SNS), mainly used by young people, can be used by the public to obtain medical information. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), SNSs are prone to spreading inauthentic and misleading information when it comes to information related to health and medical care. “Infodemic” is defined as a situation in which unidentified and false information is widely disseminated on SNS, causing WHO to issue international alerts. This study aimed to organize information about HPV vaccination disseminated on SNS in Japan. Methods We extracted 208 tweets with the keyword “HPV vaccine” posted in Japan between April 1, 2014, and September 30, 2017. The extracted tweets included data points such as ID, language, posting date and time, and latitude and longitude. The location information of the senders was obtained from the latitude and longitude, and the tweets were organized by prefecture, city, town, village, and ID. Then, we evaluated whether the information at the URLs was accurate by examining retweets, likes, and the number of comments on the tweet. Python version 3.7.7 was used to extract the tweets. Results The results of classification of the tweets by prefecture are as follows: the Hokkaido prefecture accounted for four tweets; the northeast, six tweets; southern Kanto, 123 tweets; northern Kanto-Koshin, six tweets; Hokuriku, five tweets; Tokai, 35 tweets; Kinki, 10 tweets; Chugoku 4 tweets; Shikoku, three tweets; and Kyushu, nine tweets. A total of 93 users posted tweets; four users posted five or more tweets; 14 users posted 2–4 tweets, and 75 users posted one tweet. In particular, 66 tweets in Kanagawa prefecture, 14 tweets in Shizuoka prefecture, and two tweets in Tokyo were posted from the same ID. Regarding the type of tweet, there were 109 tweets, 65 retweets, and 34 replies. There were 137 tweets with and 71 tweets without URLs. When organized by the linked URL, 50 posts linked to a blog, 46 posts linked to a news item, seven posts linked to Facebook, five posts linked to a government agency homepage, four posts linked to YouTube, three posts linked to the home page of the City Council rep, two posts linked to a medical site, and 20 posts linked to other sources that could not be categorized. In terms of the authenticity of the posts, 25 tweets were judged as “accurate,” 14 were judged to be “inaccurate,” and 16 were judged as “unknown.” We classified the posts as follows; “accurate” for those that contained accurate information and “inaccurate” for those that contained inaccurate information. Discussion The distribution of tweets and the uneven distribution of the users suggest that few people spread information about the HPV Vaccine on Twitter in Japan. Regarding the content, more than half of the tweets could not be judged as accurate or inaccurate because the verification results regarding adverse reactions of the HPV vaccine were not published at the time of sending, and in news and blog articles, personal opinions were stated rather than authentic medical information. In this study, we clarified the characteristics of tweets regarding HPV vaccination in Japan and the status of transmission. In the future, it will be necessary to change the keywords and time periods for which tweets need to be extracted, and the data set used for the analysis will need to be compared and examined.

Role of Journalism and Media During the Crisis of the Coronavirus Pandemic in India: A Review

The 21st century has seen several infectious disease outbreaks that have turned into epidemics and pandemics including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which began in Asia in 2003 (Poon, Guan, Nicholls, Yuen, & Peiris, 2004), followed by H1N1 that emerged in Mexico and the United States in 2009 (Belongia et al., 2010). Next came the lesser known Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) originating in Saudi Arabia in 2012 (Assiri et al., 2013), after which the Ebola outbreak in West Africa took place from 2014 to 2016, with a more recent occurrence in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2018 to 2019 (Malvy, McElroy, de Clerck, Günther, & van Griensven, 2019). To date, the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that started in Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China, in late December 2019 seems to be eclipsing all of these previous infectious diseases in terms of its global reach and impact (Wang, Horby, Hayden, & Gao, 2020). After being declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a public health emergency on 30 January 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020c), it was elevated to a pandemic status on 11 March 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020d). As of 28 April 2020, there are more than 2.9 million cases and 202,597 deaths reported worldwide (World Health Organization, 2020b).

Suicide Prevention in an International Context.

Burden of the Beast

Online Social media generates lot of information now-a-days. It is not legitimate information so there are the chances of fake and false information produced using social media. It is very alarming that majority of the people getting news from social media which is very much prone to false information in comparison to traditional news media which is very dangerous to the society. One of the primary reasons to influence opinion through false information is to earn money, name or fame. In this study, the focus is on to highlight false information generated through fake reviews, fake news and hoaxes based on web & social media. It summarized various False information spreading Mechanisms, False Information Detection Algorithms, Mining Techniques for Online False Information to detect and prevent false online information.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Pediatric Health Care Workers: Understanding the Response to COVID-19.