Self-diagnosis of influenza during a pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

Jutel, Annemarie; Baker, Marissa G.; J, Stanley; Huang, Q. Sue; Bandaranayake, Don

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000234

Cited by 20 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Given the high background rate of respiratory infections, with over 70% of adults reported having experienced an episode in the preceding 12 months, there is not much scope to detect an increase in infections. Furthermore, self-report respiratory infection, particularly influenza, has poor specificity and sensitivity, particularly during times of pandemic virus circulation and subsequent heightened public awareness (Jutel et al , 2011). During the 2009/2010 influenza season in the United States, the main circulating virus was the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1), and very few other seasonal influenza viruses were detected (CDC, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influenza Vaccine Response in Adults Exposed to Perfluorooctanoate and Perfluorooctanesulfonate

Looker

Luster

Calafat

et al. 2013

Toxicological Sciences

120

107

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Supported by several epidemiological studies and a large number of animal studies, certain polyfluorinated alkyl acids are believed to be immunotoxic, affecting particularly humoral immunity. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between the antibody response following vaccination with an inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine and circulating levels of Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS). The study population consisted of 411 adults living in the mid-Ohio region of Ohio and West Virginia where public drinking water had been inadvertently contaminated with PFOA. They participated in a larger cross-sectional study in 2005/2006 and were followed up in 2010, by which time serum levels of PFOA had been substantially reduced but were still well above those found in the general population. Hemagglutination inhibition tests were conducted on serum samples collected preinfluenza vaccination and 21 ± 3 days postvaccination in 2010. Serum samples were also analyzed for PFOA and PFOS concentrations (median: 31.5 and 9.2 ng/ml, respectively). Questionnaires were conducted regarding the occurrence and frequency of recent (during the last 12 months) respiratory infections. Our findings indicated that elevated PFOA serum concentrations are associated with reduced antibody titer rise, particularly to A/H3N2 influenza virus, and an increased risk of not attaining the antibody threshold considered to offer long-term protection. Although the direct relationship between weakened antibody response and clinical risk of influenza is not clear, we did not find evidence for an association between self-reported colds or influenza and PFOA levels nor between PFOS serum concentrations and any of the endpoints examined.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influenza Vaccine Response in Adults Exposed to Perfluorooctanoate and Perfluorooctanesulfonate

Looker

Luster

Calafat

et al. 2013

Toxicological Sciences

120

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In particular, Twitter can be used to assess public knowledge (e.g., the widely held but incorrect assumption that antibiotics will treat a cold, or that a course of antibiotics can be stopped once the symptoms have disappeared) and therefore reveal gaps in public understanding. Also, the problem of inaccuracy of self-diagnosis of influenza due to media hype was illustrated on the swine flu 2009 pandemic by Jutel et al [2011]. Further, attention has turned to Web 2.0 tools other than Twitter.…”

Section: The Role Of Social Network For Risk Communication and News mentioning

confidence: 98%

#swineflu

Kostkova

Szomszor

Louis

2014

ACM Trans. Manage. Inf. Syst.

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The need to improve population monitoring and enhance surveillance of infectious diseases has never been more pressing. Factors such as air travel act as a catalyst in the spread of new and existing viruses. The unprecedented user-generated activity on social networks over the last few years has created real-time streams of personal data that provide an invaluable tool for monitoring and sampling large populations. Epidemic intelligence relies on constant monitoring of online media sources for early warning, detection, and rapid response; however, the real-time information available in social networks provides a new paradigm for the early warning function.The communication of risk in any public health emergency is a complex task for governments and healthcare agencies. This task is made more challenging in the current situation when the public has access to a wide range of online resources, ranging from traditional news channels to information posted on blogs and social networks. Twitter's strength is its two-way communication nature -both as an information source but also as a central hub for publishing, disseminating and discovering online media.This study addresses these two challenges by investigating the role of Twitter during the 2009 swine flu pandemic by analysing data collected from the SN, and by Twitter using the opposite way for dissemination information through the network. First, we demonstrate the role of the social network for early warning by detecting an upcoming spike in an epidemic before the official surveillance systems by up to two weeks in the U.K. and up to two to three weeks in the U.S. Second, we illustrate how online resources are propagated through Twitter at the time of the WHO's declaration of the swine flu "pandemic". Our findings indicate that Twitter does favour reputable t bogus information can still leak into the network.

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“…Further, selfdiagnosis is also inaccurate. Jutel, Baker, Stanley, Huang, and Bandaranayake (2011) compared self-ascribed diagnosis with laboratory diagnosis during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and found that those infected, including health-care workers, were no more likely to self-diagnose accurately than the uninfected. Moreover, influenza is rarely diagnosed by a laboratory test since testing on a large scale places extreme burden upon the health system and testing is often restricted to cases of severe illness and death (Briand, Mounts, & Chamberland, 2011, p. 251).…”

Section: Influenza Public Health and Riskmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Given that severe symptoms do not necessarily indicate infection (Jutel et al, 2011), Roslyn's beliefs may not reflect actual infection.…”

Section: 'Is This Flu?' Defining and Experiencing Influenza Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Fuzzy’ virus: indeterminate influenza biology, diagnosis and surveillance in the risk ontologies of the general public in time of pandemics

Lohm

Davis

Flowers

et al. 2015

Health, Risk & Society

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Self-diagnosis of influenza during a pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

Cited by 20 publications

References 28 publications

Influenza Vaccine Response in Adults Exposed to Perfluorooctanoate and Perfluorooctanesulfonate

Influenza Vaccine Response in Adults Exposed to Perfluorooctanoate and Perfluorooctanesulfonate

#swineflu

‘Fuzzy’ virus: indeterminate influenza biology, diagnosis and surveillance in the risk ontologies of the general public in time of pandemics

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