A novel response to an outbreak of infectious syphilis in Christchurch, New Zealand

Sexual Health ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Coughlan ◽  
Heather Young ◽  
Catherine Parkes ◽  
Maureen Coshall ◽  
Nigel Dickson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Public Health Communication ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infections ◽  
Sexual Contacts ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Clinical Records

During 2012, Christchurch experienced a dramatic increase in cases of infectious syphilis among men who have sex with men. This was accompanied by some novel trends; notably, the acquisition of infection in a younger age group, with local sexual contacts, commonly via the use of social media. This study is a report on an approach to case identification and public health communication as a component of a multifaceted outbreak response. Enhanced syphilis surveillance data on public health responses to outbreaks of sexually transmissible infections was collated and reviewed, alongside clinical records and literature. Reported outbreak response methods were adapted for the Christchurch cohort. A Facebook page was created to raise awareness of infectious syphilis, the importance of screening and where to get tested. Twenty-six males were diagnosed with infectious syphilis in 2012, an increase from previous years, of which 22 reported only male sexual contact. High use of social media used to find potential sexual contacts was reported. Enhanced syphilis surveillance characterised in detail an infectious syphilis outbreak in Christchurch. Index cases were identified, contact tracing mapping was used to identify transmission networks and social media was also used to educate the risk group. There was a decrease in infectious syphilis presentations, with no cases in the last 3 months of 2012.

scholarly journals Spreading (Dis)Trust: Covid-19 Misinformation and Government Intervention in Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 458-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Lovari
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
General State ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Public Health Communication ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Impact

The commentary focuses on the spread of Covid-19 misinformation in Italy, highlighting the dynamics that have impacted on its pandemic communication. Italy has recently been affected by a progressive erosion of trust in public institutions and a general state of information crisis regarding matters of health and science. In this context, the politicization of health issues and a growing use of social media to confront the Coronavirus “infodemic” have led the Italian Ministry of Health to play a strategic role in using its official Facebook page to mitigate the spread of misinformation and to offer updates to online publics. Despite this prompt intervention, which increased the visibility and reliability of public health communication, coordinated efforts involving different institutions, media and digital platform companies still seem necessary to reduce the impact of misinformation, as using a multichannel strategy helps avoid increasing social and technological disparities at a time of crisis.

Data-driven inferences of agency-level risk and response communication on COVID-19 through social media-based interactions

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 59-82
Author(s):  
Md Ashraf Ahmed, PhD Candidate ◽  
Arif Mohaimin Sadri, PhD ◽  
M. Hadi Amini, PhD, DEng
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Topic Model ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Online Social Media

Risk perception and risk averting behaviors of public agencies in the emergence and spread of COVID-19 can be retrieved through online social media (Twitter), and such interactions can be echoed in other information outlets. This study collected time-sensitive online social media data and analyzed patterns of health risk communication of public health and emergency agencies in the emergence and spread of novel coronavirus using data-driven methods. The major focus is toward understanding how policy-making agencies communicate risk and response information through social media during a pandemic and influence community response—ie, timing of lockdown, timing of reopening, etc.—and disease outbreak indicators—ie, number of confirmed cases and number of deaths. Twitter data of six major public organizations (1,000-4,500 tweets per organization) are collected from February 21, 2020 to June 6, 2020. Several machine learning algorithms, including dynamic topic model and sentiment analysis, are applied over time to identify the topic dynamics over the specific timeline of the pandemic. Organizations emphasized on various topics—eg, importance of wearing face mask, home quarantine, understanding the symptoms, social distancing and contact tracing, emerging community transmission, lack of personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing and medical supplies, effect of tobacco, pandemic stress management, increasing hospitalization rate, upcoming hurricane season, use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 treatment, maintaining hygiene, and the role of healthcare podcast in different timeline. The findings can benefit emergency management, policymakers, and public health agencies to identify targeted information dissemination policies for public with diverse needs based on how local, federal, and international agencies reacted to COVID-19.

An outbreak of syphilis in Oslo

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 370-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
A M Halsos ◽  
K Edgardh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Oral Sex ◽  
Sexual Contacts ◽  
Male Patients ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Latent Syphilis ◽  
Retrospective Investigation

During 1999 and 2000, an outbreak of syphilis occurred in Norway: 93 cases were reported to the National Institute of Public Health. This report summarizes a retrospective investigation of the medical records of 60 patients with primary, secondary and early latent syphilis treated during 1999–2000 at the Department of STD at the Ullevål University Hospital in Oslo. Five women and 55 men were treated, mean age 38.6 and 44.9 years, respectively. Of the 60 cases, 14 (23.3%) had primary, 39 (65.0) secondary and seven (11.7%) early latent syphilis. Men who have sex with men (MSM) constituted 78.2% (43/55) of the male patients. Transmission among MSM was related to casual sexual contacts in bathhouses in Oslo. Two cases occurred among men with previously diagnosed HIV infection. Two new cases of HIV were reported. Condom use was inconsistent, and seldom used for oral sex.

scholarly journals A Men Who Have Sex With Men–Friendly Doctor Finder Hackathon in Guangzhou, China: Development of a Mobile Health Intervention to Enhance Health Care Utilization (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyan Li ◽  
Yuan Xiong ◽  
Hao Fong Sit ◽  
Weiming Tang ◽  
Brian J Hall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Mhealth Intervention ◽  
Sex With Men

BACKGROUND Mobile health (mHeath)–based HIV and sexual health promotion among men who have sex with men (MSM) is feasible in low- and middle-income settings. However, many currently available mHealth tools on the market were developed by the private sector for profit and have limited input from MSM communities. OBJECTIVE A health hackathon is an intensive contest that brings together participants from multidisciplinary backgrounds to develop a proposed solution for a specific health issue within a short period. The purpose of this paper was to describe a hackathon event that aimed to develop an mHealth tool to enhance health care (specifically HIV prevention) utilization among Chinese MSM, summarize characteristics of the final prototypes, and discuss implications for future mHealth intervention development. METHODS The hackathon took place in Guangzhou, China. An open call for hackathon participants was advertised on 3 Chinese social media platforms, including Blued, a popular social networking app among MSM. All applicants completed a Web-based survey and were then scored. The top scoring applicants were grouped into teams based on their skills and content area expertise. Each team was allowed 1 month to prepare for the hackathon. The teams then came together in person with on-site expert mentorship for a 72-hour hackathon contest to develop and present mHealth prototype solutions. The judging panel included experts in psychology, public health, computer science, social media, clinical medicine, and MSM advocacy. The final prototypes were evaluated based on innovation, usability, and feasibility. RESULTS We received 92 applicants, and 38 of them were selected to attend the April 2019 hackathon. A total of 8 teams were formed, including expertise in computer science, user interface design, business or marketing, clinical medicine, and public health. Moreover, 24 participants self-identified as gay, and 3 participants self-identified as bisexual. All teams successfully developed a prototype tool. A total of 4 prototypes were designed as a mini program that could be embedded within a popular Chinese social networking app, and 3 prototypes were designed as stand-alone apps. Common prototype functions included Web-based physician searching based on one’s location (8 prototypes), health education (4 prototypes), Web-based health counseling with providers or lay health volunteers (6 prototypes), appointment scheduling (8 prototypes), and between-user communication (2 prototypes). All prototypes included strategies to ensure privacy protection for MSM users, and some prototypes offered strategies to ensure privacy of physicians. The selected prototypes are undergoing pilot testing. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of using a hackathon to create mHealth intervention tools. This suggests a different pathway to developing mHealth interventions and could be relevant in other settings.

scholarly journals Men treated for syphilis in Białystok, Poland, 2014-2018

2019 ◽  
pp. 329-335
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Beata Serwin ◽  
Adriana Grochowska ◽  
Iwona Flisiak
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Partner Notification ◽  
Secondary Syphilis ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Symptomatic Infection ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Sexual Contacts ◽  
Sex With Men

INTRODUCTION. Incidence of syphilis is increasing in Europe in recent years, mainly due to high incidence in men, especially men who have sex with men (MSM). AIM. To analyse sociodemographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of men treated for syphilis in Bialystok in 2014 – 2018, to compare these of MSM and men who have sex with women (MSW). MATERIAL AND METHODS. Analysis of age, residency, professional activity, type of sexual contacts (steady vs. casual), marital status, stage of syphilis diagnosed, concomitant sexually transmitted infections (STIs), treatment, partner notification and follow-up attendance. RESULTS. Of 49 male patients with syphilis 26 (53.06%) were MSM and 23 (46.94%) – MSW. The average age was 33.67 and 35.87 years in MSM and MSW patients, respectively. Majority of patients in both groups were residents of urban areas. Tradesmen and those unemployed constituted the highest proportion in MSM and MSW group, respectively. MSM were in majority single and had only casual contacts while MSW, mostly married or engaged in steady relationship, had also casual contacts. Secondary syphilis was most frequently diagnosed in MSM and late latent syphilis - in MSW. Eight patients (16.32%) had concomitant HIV infection, in all diagnosed before syphilis. Contact tracing was successful in 26.92% of MSM and 39.13% of MSW. Follow-up was not done or not completed in half of MSM and more than half of MSW. CONCLUSIONS. Results confirm that MSM play a crucial role in the current epidemics of syphilis. They have mainly casual sexual contacts and have symptomatic infection. In both MSM and MSW contact tracing and follow-up attendance is suboptimal.

scholarly journals Infodemia and COVID-19: a text mining analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
W De Caro
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Twitter Activity

Abstract Introduction Covid-19 epidemic lead a huge use of social media to comment and spread information from the widest sources. Infodemia looks at excessive amount of information circulating, which makes it difficult to orientate communities on a given topic due to the difficulty of identifying reliable sources. Using text mining analysis it is possible to identify what drives public conversation and impact of Covid-19. Methods Public perceptions in emergencies is traditionally measured with surveys. However, to have a global sight of the pandemia, Twitter represents a powerful tool which gives real-time monitoring of public perception. The study aimed to: 1) monitor the use of the terms “Covid-19” or “Coronarivus” over time; and 2) to conduct a specific text and sentiment analysis. Results Between January 10 and May 8, 2020, over 600 million tweets were retrieved. Of those 600.000 tweets were randomly selected, coded, and analyzed. About 10% of cases were identified as misinformation. Public figures, experts in public health, and virologists represent the most popular sources in comparison to the official government and health agencies. There is a positive correlation between Twitter activity peaks and COVID-19 infection peaks. Text mining analysis was carried out, as well as a content analysis, also in order to identify changing emotions and sentiments during time. This analysis, particularly during the lockdown, clearly shows that participation on social media can potentially have an effect on building social capital and social support. Conclusions This study confirms that using social media to conduct infodemic studies is an important area of development in public health arena. COVID-19 tweets were primarily used to disseminate information from credible sources, but were also a source of opinions, emotion and experiences. Tweets can be used for real-time content analysis and knowledge translation research, allowing health authorities to respond to public concerns. Key messages Social media is crucial for health information. Infodemia as new way for study health.

scholarly journals A topic analysis of traditional and social media news coverage of the early COVID-19 pandemic and implications for public health communication

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wallace Chipidza ◽  
Elmira Akbaripourdibazar ◽  
Tendai Gwanzura ◽  
Nicole M. Gatto
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
News Media ◽  
Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Cable News ◽  
Public Health Communication ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Public Health Officials

AbstractKnowledge gaps may initially exist among scientists, medical and public health professionals during pandemics, which are fertile grounds for misinformation in news media. We characterized and compared COVID-19 coverage in newspapers, television, and social media, and discussed implications for public health communication strategies that are relevant to an initial pandemic response. We conducted a Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), an unsupervised topic modelling technique, analysis of 3,271 newspaper articles, 40 cable news shows transcripts, 96,000 Twitter posts, and 1,000 Reddit posts during March 4 - 12, 2020, a period chronologically early in the timeframe of the COVID-19 pandemic. Coverage of COVID-19 clustered on topics such as epidemic, politics, and the economy, and these varied across media sources. Topics dominating news were not predominantly health-related, suggesting a limited presence of public health in news coverage in traditional and social media. Examples of misinformation were identified particularly in social media. Public health entities should utilize communication specialists to create engaging informational content to be shared on social media sites. Public health officials should be attuned to their target audience to anticipate and prevent spread of common myths likely to exist within a population. This will help control misinformation in early stages of pandemics.

scholarly journals Real-Time Communication: Creating a Path to COVID-19 Public Health Activism in Adolescents Using Social Media

10.2196/21886 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. e21886
Author(s):  
Kunmi Sobowale ◽  
Heather Hilliard ◽  
Martha J Ignaszewski ◽  
Linda Chokroverty
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Adolescent Development ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Health Organizations ◽  
Health Activism ◽  
Public Health Organizations ◽  
Use Of Social Media

The COVID-19 pandemic and related public health efforts limiting in-person social interactions present unique challenges to adolescents. Social media, which is widely used by adolescents, presents an opportunity to counteract these challenges and promote adolescent health and public health activism. However, public health organizations and officials underuse social media to communicate with adolescents. Using well-established risk communication strategies and insights from adolescent development and human-computer interaction literature, we identify current efforts and gaps, and propose recommendations to advance the use of social media risk communication for adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and future disasters.

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