Blood Libel Rebooted: Traditional Scapegoats, Online Media, and the H1N1 Epidemic

Background The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003 and the subsequent emergence of the H5N1 virus have highlighted the threat of a global pandemic influenza outbreak. Planning effective public health control measures for such a case will be highly dependent on sound theory-based research on how people perceive the risks involved in such an event. Purpose The present article aims to review theoretical models and concepts underlying current empirical research on pandemic influenza risk perception. Method A review was conducted based on 28 empirical studies from 30 articles which were published between 2003 and 2007. Results Concepts of risk perception mostly seemed more pragmatic than theory-based and were highly heterogeneous, for instance, in terms of conceptualizing risk perception as an exclusively cognitive or as a cognitive and emotional phenomenon or whether the concept was dominated by expectancy or expectancy and value components. Similarly, the majority of studies investigating risk perceptions and protective behaviors were not model-based. Conclusions The current body of knowledge can only provide preliminary insights. Unlike the reviewed studies, which were mostly launched as a rapid response to outbreak situations, future research will have to invest more strongly into theoretical work to provide sounder evidence.

Social media websites, such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Second Life are rapidly emerging as popular sources of health information especially for teens and young adults. Social media marketing carries the advantages of low cost, rapid transmission through a wide community, and user interaction. Disadvantages include blind authorship, lack of source citation, and presentation of opinion as fact. Dermatologists and other health care providers should recognize the importance of social media websites and their potential usefulness for disseminating health information.

The ongoing H1N1 influenza pandemic has created a significant amount of health concern. Adequate dissemination of correct information about H1N1 influenza could help in decreasing the disease spread and associated anxiety in the population. This study aims to examine the effective use of the popular Internet video site YouTube as an information source during the initial phase of the H1N1 outbreak. YouTube was searched on June 26, 2009, using the keywords swine flu, H1N1 influenza, and influenza for videos uploaded in the past 3 months containing relevant information about the disease. The videos were classified as useful, misleading, or as news updates based on the kind of information contained. Total viewership, number of days since upload, total duration of videos, and source of upload were noted. A total of 142 videos had relevant information about H1N1 influenza. In all, 61.3% of videos had useful information about the disease, whereas 23% were misleading. Total viewership share of useful videos was 70.5%, whereas that of misleading videos was 17.5%, with no significant difference in viewership/day. The CDC contributed about 12% of the useful videos, with a significant viewership share of 47%. No significant differences were seen in viewership/day for useful videos based on the kind of information they contained. YouTube has a substantial amount of useful information about H1N1 influenza. A source-based preference is seen among the viewers, and CDC-uploaded videos are being used in an increasing proportion as a source of authentic information about the disease. Copyright (c) 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.