Abstract
We describe the enhanced rumor surveillance during the avian influenza H5N1 outbreak in 2004. The World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Regional Office identified 40 rumors; 9 were verified to be true. Rumor surveillance informed immediate public health action and prevented unnecessary and costly responses.
Highlights
We describe the enhanced rumor surveillance during the avian influenza H5N1 outbreak in 2004
This study examines whether the enhanced rumor surveillance undertaken by Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) during the first 40 days of the outbreak achieved its aims of: 1) offering timely assistance to potentially affected nations, 2) prompting countries to undertake preparedness measures appropriate to their level of risk of being affected, and 3) informing the public and the international community about relevant events
Number of rumors received from January 20 to February 26 by source of rumor, Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) of the World Health Organization (WHO), 2004
Summary
We describe the enhanced rumor surveillance during the avian influenza H5N1 outbreak in 2004. To protect both the international community and the affected countries, WHO introduced enhanced rumor surveillance for reports of avian influenza H5N1, a process of investigating unofficial reports of disease events to determine their veracity.
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