Managing Infodemics in the 21st Century: Addressing New Public Health Challenges in the Information Ecosystem

This open access book on infodemic management reviews the current discussions about this evolving area of public health from a variety of perspectives.

Infodemic management is an evidence-based practice underpinned by the science of infodemiology that offers guidance to better manage pandemic and epidemic risks and more quickly tackle new and resurgent health threats. Infodemic management has added much visibility and recognition for the importance of social-behavioural sciences, health communication, participatory and human-centered approaches, and digital health as complementary scientific and practical approaches that also must be strengthened in public health practice through a whole-of-society and whole information ecosystem approach. This volume makes a case that health of the information ecosystem in the digital age has emerged as the fourth ecosystem that public health is challenged by, along with the triad of environment-human-animal health. 

The book brings together scientists and practitioners across disciplines to offer insights on infodemic management. The tools, methods, analytics, and interventions that they discuss in the context of acute health events also can be applied to other public health areas. Topics covered include:

• People’s Experience of Information Overload and Its Impact on Infodemic Harms
• Smart Health! Expanding the Need for New Literacies
• To Debunk or Not to Debunk? Correcting (Mis)information
• Partnering with Communities for Effective Management of Health Emergencies

Managing Infodemics in the 21st Century is required reading for public health practitioners in need of an overview of this evolving field of practice that has made major scientific and practical leaps forward since early 2020. Global, regional, and local health authorities are increasingly recognizing the need to expand their capacities for infodemic management in their efforts to better prepare for future health emergencies. This book is the resource they need to build toward a mature infodemic management process. The text also can be used as supplemental reading for graduate programs and courses in public health.

Tina D. Purnat is Team Lead for Infodemic Management in the Unit for High Impact Events Preparedness, Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, WHO Emergencies Programme, in Geneva, Switzerland. Tina has worked for over 20 years at the WHO, European Union and academia. Her expertise amalgamates health research, analysis and policy-making with an emphasis on promoting the use of health information and evidence in decision-making and for policy-making. As part of the WHO COVID-19 response, she worked in developing and formulating WHO infodemic response and infodemic management interventions, for which she received the WHO Pathfinder and Innovation Award 2021.  

Tim Nguyen is the Head of Unit for High Impact Events in the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention  of the WHO Emergencies Programme (WHE) in Geneva, Switzerland. His team manages: (i) the WHO Information Network for Epidemics (EPI-WIN), a platform to unite the work on managing disease infodemics during emergencies, and (ii) the strategic global governance of pharmaceutical interventions including pandemic influenza and smallpox vaccine as well as influenza antivirals. He joined WHO in 2006, initially working as a Technical Officer in the Yellow Fever Programme which managed an initiative funded by the GAVI Alliance to provide 40 million doses of vaccine to most at-risk populations in low-resource settings. In 2008, he joined WHO’s Global Influenza Programme and took part in the global response work to the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century. In 2011, he was the founding member of WHO’s Global Hepatitis Programme and project manager for the development of the first WHO treatment guideline for HCV. From 2014-2017, he was the Unit leader for Knowledge Management, Evidence and Research for Policy-Making at the WHO Regional Office for Europe based in Copenhagen, Denmark. There, he established the scientific journal Public Health Panorama and was responsible for the development of the WHO/Europe resolution and action plan for evidence-informed policy-making. Before joining WHO, he worked as management consultant in the pharmaceutical industry.  

Sylvie Briand is Director in the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention (EPP), WHO Emergencies Programme, in Geneva, Switzerland. The EPP department advances global efforts to prevent and control existing and emerging infectious diseases by increasing access to evidence-based interventions; fostering impactful innovation; and leveraging technical, operational and strategic partnerships. The scope of EPP includes COVID-19 but also other dangerous pathogens such as pandemic influenza, plague, Nipah virus, smallpox and other pox viruses and arboviruses (Zika and Chikungunya). Since 2001, Dr. Briand has been actively involved in the detection, preparedness and response to global threats, leading the scientific and strategic component of the WHO response (avian and pandemic influenza, Ebola, Zika, Plague, yellow fever, cholera, MERS). Before joining WHO, Dr. Briand worked as public health project director for different global health agencies in various geographic regions.