CDC Turns to Social Sites to Get Flu Message out

From the Reuters News website, this article discusses United States (US) health authorities' use of social networking websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to prepare people to be vaccinated against the pandemic H1N1 virus. According to the author, accurate information about the dangers of H1N1 (swine flu) and the importance of vaccination is a complicated message because of the complex information that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) needs to convey.

Complications include: delays in widespread vaccine distribution due to slower than anticipated vaccine production; timing of the vaccinations following the seasonal influenza vaccination; a focus on 50 percent of the population for vaccination, focusing on key groups including pregnant women and healthcare workers; and a potential need for three separate inoculations: one for seasonal flu and two for H1N1 taken three weeks apart.

On its CDCFlu feed at Twitter.com, the CDC periodically posts information on H1N1 death tolls and also promotes its offerings on other social media, such as an interview on YouTube with a CDC scientist. The CDC Facebook page, which has more than 20,000 fans [statistics from August 2009], includes information on how to prepare for H1N1 flu and a discussion of the flu in its comments section. Aside from social media, the CDC has run focus groups in Chicago, Illinois, New York, New York, and Atlanta, Georgia, United States, to test appropriate messages and has also worked with so-called "mommy bloggers".

According to the CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden, the message to the public can be subtle and confusing, for example urging those who are ill to see a doctor immediately, yet not overwhelm emergency room facilities. CDC officials, as stated here, have been urged to admit when they do not have full information or cannot predict or give guarantees. The CDC is also aware that some people doubt the safety of vaccines. Due to these trust issues, the CDC is focusing on accurate, timely information.

Vaccine safety groups argue that insufficient testing of H1N1 vaccine could pose a risk to the public and say individuals will have little legal recourse if problems emerge. However, as stated here, public interest in the pandemic offers a chance to present concerns about vaccinations to a wider public, according to Barbara Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center.