scholarly journals Exploring online anti-vaccination movements: the role of social media in public health communications and reporting

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
B Soborg
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Target Group ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Childhood Vaccination ◽  
World Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Vaccination against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) was successfully introduced in the Danish childhood vaccination program in 2009 for girls aged 12 with coverage reaching approximately 90%. However, media attention focusing on vaccine safety resulted in a rapid drop in vaccination coverage from 2015. In May 2017, a national campaign “Stop HPV - stop cervical cancer” with aim to regain trust in the official HPV vaccine recommendation and to increase vaccination coverage, was launched. The primary target group of the campaign are mothers in doubt whether to HPV vaccinate their daughter. One of the main elements of the campaign is the social media strategy which includes a Facebook (FB) page “Stop HPV - stop cervical cancer”. New content is made for the page one or twice weekly with a wide range of different post styles used. The FB page is staffed throughout the week and every comment made on the FB page personally answered by the staff. The communication strategy used for the campaign is “heart-brain” with a strategy of communicating “brain” facts about safety and effectiveness of the vaccine while on the other hand telling narrative “heart” stories, such as personal stories of women with cervical cancer. The strategy is in line with recommendations from World Health Organization (WHO) who acknowledge health communication related to vaccines is not only about telling facts, but also about eliciting emotions, creating trust and ensuring genuine understanding by the target group. Communicating on FB about the Childhood vaccination programme has not been used by the Danish Authorities before and there has been a keen interest to learn from the campaign initiative. To quantify and qualify the interaction on Facebook, engagement rates and sentiment analysis to the different types of FB posts have been evaluated and focus groups used to describe the preferred communication style. Data from the evaluation and the impact of the campaign will be presented at the workshop.

scholarly journals Assessment of the impact of the extension of vaccination mandates on vaccine coverage after 1 year, France, 2019

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (26) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lévy-Bruhl ◽  
Laure Fonteneau ◽  
Sophie Vaux ◽  
Anne-Sophie Barret ◽  
Denise Antona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Childhood Vaccination ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Data Coverage ◽  
The Law ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Impact

One year after the extension of the childhood vaccination mandates to the 11 routine vaccinations for children under 2 years old, we estimated vaccination coverage through vaccine reimbursement data. Coverage for children born in 2018 has notably increased. Moreover, vaccine coverage for children and for vaccines not concerned by the law have also shown an increasing trend, supporting a positive impact of the ongoing communication strategy on vaccination, beyond the extension of vaccination mandates.

scholarly journals The Search for Natural and Synthetic Inhibitors That Would Complement Antivenoms as Therapeutics for Snakebite Envenoming

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 451
Author(s):  
José María Gutiérrez ◽  
Laura-Oana Albulescu ◽  
Rachel H. Clare ◽  
Nicholas R. Casewell ◽  
Tarek Mohamed Abd Abd El-Aziz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snake Venom ◽  
Serine Proteinase ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
World Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Variable Chemical ◽  
Snake Venom Metalloproteinase ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Natural And Synthetic

A global strategy, under the coordination of the World Health Organization, is being unfolded to reduce the impact of snakebite envenoming. One of the pillars of this strategy is to ensure safe and effective treatments. The mainstay in the therapy of snakebite envenoming is the administration of animal-derived antivenoms. In addition, new therapeutic options are being explored, including recombinant antibodies and natural and synthetic toxin inhibitors. In this review, snake venom toxins are classified in terms of their abundance and toxicity, and priority actions are being proposed in the search for snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP), phospholipase A2 (PLA2), three-finger toxin (3FTx), and serine proteinase (SVSP) inhibitors. Natural inhibitors include compounds isolated from plants, animal sera, and mast cells, whereas synthetic inhibitors comprise a wide range of molecules of a variable chemical nature. Some of the most promising inhibitors, especially SVMP and PLA2 inhibitors, have been developed for other diseases and are being repurposed for snakebite envenoming. In addition, the search for drugs aimed at controlling endogenous processes generated in the course of envenoming is being pursued. The present review summarizes some of the most promising developments in this field and discusses issues that need to be considered for the effective translation of this knowledge to improve therapies for tackling snakebite envenoming.

Vaccine Coverage Across the Life Course in Michigan During the COVID-19 Pandemic: January–September 2020

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e9
Author(s):  
Angela K. Shen ◽  
Cristi A. Bramer ◽  
Lynsey M. Kimmins ◽  
Robert Swanson ◽  
Patricia Vranesich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Childhood Vaccination ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Immunization Registry ◽  
Immunization Services ◽  
Vaccines For Children ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

Objectives. To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immunization services across the life course. Methods. In this retrospective study, we used Michigan immunization registry data from 2018 through September 2020 to assess the number of vaccine doses administered, number of sites providing immunization services to the Vaccines for Children population, provider location types that administer adult vaccines, and vaccination coverage for children. Results. Of 12 004 384 individual vaccine doses assessed, 48.6%, 15.6%, and 35.8% were administered to children (aged 0–8 years), adolescents (aged 9–18 years), and adults (aged 19–105 years), respectively. Doses administered overall decreased beginning in February 2020, with peak declines observed in April 2020 (63.3%). Overall decreases in adult doses were observed in all settings except obstetrics and gynecology provider offices and pharmacies. Local health departments reported a 66.4% decrease in doses reported. For children, the total number of sites administering pediatric vaccines decreased while childhood vaccination coverage decreased 4.4% overall and 5.8% in Medicaid-enrolled children. Conclusions. The critical challenge is to return to prepandemic levels of vaccine doses administered as well as to catch up individuals for vaccinations missed. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print October 7, 2021: e1–e9. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306474 )

Evaluation of a Narrative Video to Promote Prevention and Early Detection of Cervical Cancer Among Latinas

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483992110389
Author(s):  
Jessica Calderón-Mora ◽  
Adam Alomari ◽  
Theresa L. Byrd ◽  
Navkiran K. Shokar
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Cervical Cancer Screening ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Psychosocial Variables ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Cancer Risk Factors ◽  
Efficacy Analysis ◽  
The Impact

Objective To evaluate the impact of an online-delivered, theory-based narrative video on cervical cancer screening knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs in a predominantly Latino community. Methods The study design was a nonrandomized pretest–posttest evaluation. The eligibility criteria included men and women 18 years or older not previously enrolled in our community cervical cancer screening program who had internet access. Participants were recruited via in-person county-wide flyer distribution and social media dissemination. The intervention involved a narrative video designed for Latinas delivered via the internet. The 17-minute video is novella style, with a culturally tailored storyline and setting that covers cervical cancer risk factors and statistics, importance of screening, and addresses testing barriers. The measures were knowledge about cervical cancer and screening, perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, subjective norms, and self-efficacy. Analysis was performed using change scores for knowledge and psychosocial variables and descriptive statistics for satisfaction and acceptability of the video. Results Data from 227 surveys were analyzed; respondent mean age: 37.6 years; 98.8% female, 88.8% Hispanic; 42.0% had an annual income of $20,000 or less; and 85.2% had at least a high school education. Knowledge and all psychosocial variables improved significantly. More than 90% of the participants rated all of the satisfaction items as good or excellent. Conclusions and Implications for Practice A culturally appropriate narrative video about cervical cancer and screening disseminated online effectively improved knowledge and psychosocial variables among Latinas. Our findings indicate that health promotion interventions online could be effective for improving desired health behavior through a new means of educational dissemination by way of websites and social media outlets.

Mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 would be supported by less than fifty per cent: A Twitter poll analysis on public health opinion. (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Ritschl ◽  
Fabian Eibensteiner ◽  
Erika Mosor ◽  
Maisa Omara ◽  
Lisa Sperl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vaccination Coverage Rate ◽  
Twitter Users ◽  
Mandatory Vaccination

BACKGROUND On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Committee declared the rapid worldwide spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global health emergency. By December 2020, the safety and efficacy of the first COVID-19 vaccines had been demonstrated. However, global vaccination coverage rates have remained below expectations. Mandatory vaccination is now being controversially discussed and has been enacted in some developed countries, while the vaccination rate is very low in many developing countries. We used the Twitter survey system as a viable method to quickly and comprehensively gather international public health insights on mandatory vaccination against COVID-19. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to understand better the public's perception of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in real-time utilizing Twitter polls. METHODS Two Twitter polls were developed to seek the public's opinion on the possibility of mandatory vaccination. The polls were pinned to the Digital Health and Patient Safety Platform's Twitter timeline for one week in mid-November 2021, three days after the official public announcement of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in Austria. Twitter users were asked to participate and retweet the polls to reach the largest possible audience. RESULTS Our Twitter polls revealed two extremes on the topic of mandatory vaccination against COVID-19. Almost half of the respondents (49% [1,246/2,545]) favour mandatory vaccination, at least in certain areas. This attitude is in contrast to the 45.7% (1,162/2,545) who categorically reject mandatory vaccination. 26.3% (621/2,365) of participating Twitter users said they would never get vaccinated, which is reflected by the current vaccination coverage rate. Concatenating interpretation of these two polls needs to be done cautiously as participating populations might greatly differ. CONCLUSIONS Mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 (in at least certain areas) is favoured by less than 50%, whereas it is vehemently opposed by almost half of the surveyed Twitter users. Since (social) media strongly influences public perceptions and views through and social media discussions and surveys specifically susceptible to the "echo chamber effect", the results can be seen as a momentary snapshot. Therefore, the results of this study need to be complemented by long-term surveys to maintain their validity.

The impact of SARS-Cov-2 on the Nervous system and Mental Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Said Boulkrane ◽  
Victoria Ilina ◽  
Roman Melchakov ◽  
Mikhail Arisov ◽  
Julia Fedotova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Serious Disease ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Illness

: The World Health Organization declared the pandemic situation caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2) in March 2020, but the detailed pathophysiological mechanisms of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are not yet completely understood. Therefore, to date, few therapeutic options are available for patients with mild-moderate or serious disease. In addition to systemic and respiratory symptoms, several reports have documented various neurological symptoms and impairments of mental health. The current review aims to provide the available evidence about the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on mental health. The present data suggest that SARS-CoV-2 produces a wide range of impairments and disorders of the brain. However, a limited number of studies investigated the neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV-2. Although the main features and outcomes of COVID-19 are linked to severe acute respiratory illness. The possible damages on the brain should be considered, too.

scholarly journals Impact of campaign-style delivery of routine vaccines during Intensified Mission Indradhanush in India: a controlled interrupted time-series analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Clarke-Deelder ◽  
Christian Suharlim ◽  
Susmita Chatterjee ◽  
Logan Brenzel ◽  
Arindam Ray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Time Series Analysis ◽  
Immunization Coverage ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Childhood Vaccination ◽  
World Health ◽  
Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽  
Series Analysis ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIntroductionThe world is not on track to achieve the goals for immunization coverage and equity described by the World Health Organization’s Global Vaccine Action Plan. In India, only 62% of children had received a full course of basic vaccines in 2016. We evaluated the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI), a campaign-style intervention to increase routine immunization coverage and equity in India, implemented in 2017-2018.MethodsWe conducted a comparative interrupted time-series analysis using monthly district-level data on vaccine doses delivered, comparing districts participating and not participating in IMI. We estimated the impact of IMI on coverage and under-coverage (defined as the proportion of children who were unvaccinated) during the four-month implementation period and in subsequent months.FindingsDuring implementation, IMI increased delivery of thirteen infant vaccines by between 1.6% (95% CI: −6.4, 10.2%) and 13.8% (3.0%, 25.7%). We did not find evidence of a sustained effect during the 8 months after implementation ended. Over the 12 months from the beginning of implementation, IMI reduced under-coverage of childhood vaccination by between 3.9% (−6.9%, 13.7%) and 35.7% (−7.5%, 77.4%). The largest estimated effects were for the first doses of vaccines against diptheria-tetanus-pertussis and polio.InterpretationIMI had a substantial impact on infant immunization delivery during implementation, but this effect waned after implementation ended. Our findings suggest that campaign-style interventions can increase routine infant immunization coverage and reach formerly unreached children in the shorter term, but other approaches may be needed for sustained coverage improvements.FundingBill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

scholarly journals Evaluating smartphone strategies for reliability, reproducibility, and quality of VIA for cervical cancer screening in the Shiselweni region of Eswatini: A cohort study

PLoS Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. e1003378
Author(s):  
Ramin Asgary ◽  
Nelly Staderini ◽  
Simangele Mthethwa-Hleta ◽  
Paola Andrea Lopez Saavedra ◽  
Linda Garcia Abrego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Cervical Cancer Screening ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Kappa Statistic ◽  
World Health ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Humanitarian Settings ◽  
The Impact

Background Cervical cancer is among the most common preventable cancers with the highest morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid (VIA) as cervical cancer screening strategy in resource-poor settings. However, there are barriers to the sustainability of VIA programs including declining providers’ VIA competence without mentorship and quality assurances and challenges of integration into primary healthcare. This study seeks to evaluate the impact of smartphone-based strategies in improving reliability, reproducibility, and quality of VIA in humanitarian settings. Methods and findings We implemented smartphone-based VIA that included standard VIA training, adapted refresher, and 6-month mHealth mentorship, sequentially, in the rural Shiselweni region of Eswatini. A remote expert reviewer provided diagnostic and management feedback on patients’ cervical images, which were reviewed weekly by nurses. Program’s outcomes, VIA image agreement rates, and Kappa statistic were compared before, during, and after training. From September 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018, 4,247 patients underwent screening; 247 were reviewed weekly by a VIA diagnostic expert. Of the 247, 128 (49%) were HIV–positive; mean age was 30.80 years (standard deviation [SD]: 7.74 years). Initial VIA positivity of 16% (436/2,637) after standard training gradually increased to 25.1% (293/1,168), dropped to an average of 9.7% (143/1,469) with a lowest of 7% (20/284) after refresher in 2017 (p = 0.001), increased again to an average of 9.6% (240/2,488) with a highest of 17% (17/100) before the start of mentorship, and dropped to an average of 8.3% (134/1,610) in 2018 with an average of 6.3% (37/591) after the start of mentorship (p = 0.019). Overall, 88% were eligible for and 68% received cryotherapy the same day: 10 cases were clinically suspicious for cancer; however, only 5 of those cases were confirmed using punch biopsy. Agreement rates with the expert reviewer for positive and negative cases were 100% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 79.4% to 100%) and 95.7% (95% CI: 92.2% to 97.9%), respectively, with negative predictive value (NPV) (100%), positive predictive value (PPV) (63.5%), and area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics (AUC ROC) (0.978). Kappa statistic was 0.74 (95% CI; 0.58 to 0.89); 0.64 and 0.79 at 3 and 6 months, respectively. In logistic regression, HIV and age were associated with VIA positivity (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 3.53, 95% CI: 1.10 to 11.29; p = 0.033 and aOR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.0004 to 1.13; p = 0.048, respectively). We were unable to incorporate a control arm due to logistical constraints in routine humanitarian settings. Conclusions Our findings suggest that smartphone mentorship provided experiential learning to improve nurses’ competencies and VIA reliability and reproducibility, reduced false positive, and introduced peer-to-peer education and quality control services. Local collaboration; extending services to remote populations; decreasing unnecessary burden to screened women, providers, and tertiary centers; and capacity building through low-tech high-yield screening are promising strategies for scale-up of VIA programs.

scholarly journals Social Media in Bosnia and Herzegovina

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1821
Author(s):  
Zvezdan Stojanović
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Telecommunication Infrastructure ◽  
State Administration ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Tourism Education ◽  
Education Marketing ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Impact

The use of social media has a wide range of applications in different areas of life. Accordingly, the impact of social networks in everyday life is growing. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a solid telecommunication infrastructure, which is of great importance for the development of social networks. This paper will show the application of social networks in areas such as tourism, education, marketing, politics and local and state administration bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  

scholarly journals Round table: Online anti-vaccination movements: the role of social media in public health communications

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Hpv Vaccine ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Swine Flu ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Digital health has revolutionised healthcare, with implications for understanding public reaction to health emergencies and interventions. Social media provides a space where like-minded people can share interests and concerns in real-time, regardless of their location. This can be a force for good, as platforms like Twitter can spread correct information about outbreaks, for example in the 2009 swine flu pandemic. However, social media can also disseminate incorrect information or deliberately spread misinformation leading to adverse public health sentiment and outcomes. The current issues around trust in vaccines is the best-known example. Vaccine hesitancy, traditionally linked to issues of trust, misinformation and prior beliefs, has been increasingly fueled by influential groups on social media and the Internet. Ultimately, anti-vaccination movements have the potential to lead to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, especially if refusal is concentrated locally, creating vulnerable populations. For example, 2018-19 saw a large increase in incidence of measles in the US and Europe (where cases tripled from 2017), two regions where the disease was already or almost eliminated. In 2019, the World Health Organisation listed anti-vaccination movements as one of the top 10 threats to global public health. HPV vaccination is another example of the impact of anti-vaccination movements. As viral videos originating on YouTube spread across social networks, uptake has tumbled in a number of countries, with Japan, Denmark, Colombia and Ireland being badly hit. In Japan, the government came under sufficient pressure that they de-recommended HPV vaccine, seeing an 80% uptake rate fall below 1% in 2014. There have been reports of successful interventions by national governments. A recent campaign run by the HPV Alliance (a coalition of some 35 private companies, charities and public institutions) in Ireland has seen rates below 40% back up to a national average of 75%. A combination of hard-hitting personal testimonials, social media and traditional media promoted the HPV vaccine. Despite this, systematic engagement and supranational strategies are still in the early stages of being formulated. As misleading information spread through social media and digital networks has undesirable impact on attitudes to vaccination (and uptake rates), urgent actions are required. Analysis and visualisation techniques mining data streams from social media platforms, such as Twitter, Youtube enable real-time understanding of vaccine sentiments and information flows. Through identification of key influencers and flashpoints in articles about vaccination going viral, targeted public health responses could be developed. This roundtable discussion will showcase different ways in which media and social networks, accessible in real-time provide an opportunity for detecting a change in public confidence in vaccines, for identifying users and rumors and for assessing potential impact in order to know how to best respond. Key messages Social media has significantly enhanced our understanding of anti-vaccination movements and potential impact on public health attitudes and behaviors regarding vaccination. Innovative methods of analysing social media data, from digital health, data science and computer science, have an important role in developing health promotions to counter anti-vaccination movements.

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