Social media: A new tool for outbreak surveillance
Averi Wilson, Christoph U. Lehmann, Sameh N. Saleh, John Hanna, Richard J Medford
Abstract
Social media platforms allow users to share news, ideas, thoughts, and opinions on a global scale. Data processing methods allow researchers to automate the collection and interpretation of social media posts for efficient and valuable disease surveillance. Data derived from social media and internet search trends have been used successfully for monitoring and forecasting disease outbreaks such as Zika, Dengue, MERS, and Ebola viruses. More recently, data derived from social media have been used to monitor and model disease incidence during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We discuss the use of social media for disease surveillance.
Topics & Concepts
Social mediaOutbreakDisease surveillanceDengue feverPandemicData scienceData collectionDiseaseThe InternetComputer scienceInternet privacyCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Infectious disease (medical specialty)MedicineWorld Wide WebVirologySociologyPathologySocial scienceData-Driven Disease SurveillanceMisinformation and Its ImpactsCOVID-19 epidemiological studies