Surveillance Tool to Monitor Vaccine Confidence

Real-time monitoring of media for vaccine content can identify negative reports and offers potential for early, targeted interventions.

Misinformation can lead to a loss of confidence in vaccination — a problem that can spread rapidly, is often slow to reverse, and can result in decreased vaccine coverage and thus disease outbreaks. Recent dramatic examples include the resurgence of polio in Africa and outbreaks of measles and pertussis.

Investigators postulated that media monitoring might provide useful, timely information about public concerns, possibly allowing early, targeted interventions. Toward that end, they sought to (1) develop a global information-surveillance system to monitor media and social media, (2) code reports about vaccines, and (3) develop a method to determine which reports warrant intervention.

Using the HealthMap automated data-collection system, the r…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine