Highlights
- •The arrival of Zika virus in America has generated a lot of awareness in social media due to the algorithmic increase in the spread of the disease and its concerning complications.
- •Accurate & credible dissemination of correct information about the arbovirus could help in decreasing the pandemic spread and associated apprehension in the population.
- •Our study examined the effective use of the social media site Facebook as an information source for the Zika virus pandemic.
- •We found that the misleading posts were far more popular than the posts dispersing accurate relevant public health information about the disease.
The arrival of Zika virus in the United States has generated a lot of activity on
social media focusing on the algorithmic increase in the spread of the disease and
its concerning complications. Accurate and credible dissemination of correct information
about the arbovirus could help in decreasing the pandemic spread and associated apprehension
in the population. Our study examined the effective use of the social media site Facebook
(Facebook Inc, Menlo Park, CA) as an information source for the Zika virus pandemic.
We found that the misleading posts were far more popular than the posts dispersing
accurate, relevant public health information about the disease.
Key Words
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References
- Zika virus in the Americas—yet another arbovirus threat.N Engl J Med. 2016; 374: 601-604
- Update: interim guidance for health care providers caring for pregnant women with possible Zika virus exposure—United States, July 2016.Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016; 65: 739-744
- News Use Across Social Media Platforms.(Pew Research Center; Available from:) (Accessed June 21)
- Zika virus-related news coverage and online behavior, United States, Guatemala, and Brazil.Emerg Infect Dis. 2016; 22: 1320-1321
Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 01, 2016
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
