INDIAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY HEALTH / VOL 32 / NO 02 (SPECIAL ISSUE) / APRIL 2020 [Infodemic overtaking…] | Kulkarni P et al

COMMENTARY
COVID -19- Infodemic overtaking Pandemic? Time to disseminate facts over
fear
Praveen Kulkarni1, Sudhir Prabhu2, Sunil Kumar D3, Balaji Ramraj4,
1
Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, JSS Medical College, JSS Academy of Higher Education
& Research, Mysuru, Karnataka; 2Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Father Muller Medical
College, Mangaluru, Karmataka; 3Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, JSS Medical College,
JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, Karnataka; 4SRM Medical College Hospital and Research
Centre, Chennai
Abstract Introduction Methodology Results Conclusion References Citation Tables / Figures
Corresponding Author
Dr Praveen Kulkarni, Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, JSS Medical
College, SS Nagara, Mysruru-570015, Karnataka
E Mail ID: praveenkulkarni@jssuni.edu.in
Citation
Kulkarni P, Prabhu S, Dumar SD, Ramraj B. COVID -19- Infodemic overtaking Pandemic? Time to disseminate
facts over fear. Indian J Comm Health. 2020;32(2-Special Issue):264-268.
Source of Funding: Nil Conflict of Interest: None declared
Article Cycle
Received: 08/04/2020; Revision: 12/04/2020; Accepted: 13/04/2020; Published: 20/04/2020
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a humanitarian emergency. World Health Organization (WHO) and National
Governments are making their best efforts to prevent the spread of disease. But a global epidemic of
misinformation which is rapidly spreading through social media platforms and other outlets is posing serious
problem to the public health interventions. This rapid spread of all sorts of information pertaining to the epidemic
which makes its solution difficult is termed as infodemic. Infodemic creates fear, confusion and stigmatization
among people and makes them more vulnerable to practice the measures which are not evidence based and
scientifically sound. Hence there is an urgent need to identify the source of misinformation and prevent them
from further spreading. WHO and the government of India have taken several steps in controlling this problem
but there is a need for active involvement of social media companies, professional bodies, health care providers
and general public in identification of misinformation and combating its spread.
Keywords
COVID -19; Infodemic; Pandemic

In the last week of December 2019, China reported medical student who returned from Wuhan province
unusual increase in the number of pneumonia cases of China.(4) Subsequently the disease has spread to
in Wuhan province of china and neighboring almost entire country with the shift in the pandemic
areas.(1) The novel SARS-Corona virus was isolated phase from stage 2 to stage 3. Government of India
from these patients and the organism was named as declared complete lock down from 25th of March
COVID-19.(2) Considering the alarming spread of 2020 as a firm step to prevent the community spread
infection, severity of disease and inaction exhibited of infection and flatten the epidemic curve.
by various countries, in combating the condition,
COVID-19 was declared as Pandemic on 11th March The current pandemic has posed serious challenge to
2020.(3) the public health professionals due to rapid spread
First confirmed case of COVID-19 in India was of both virus and misinformation related to it
reported on 30th January 2020 at Kerala in one of the (Infodemic). The present paper discusses the
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concept, causes, consequences and prevention of population is constituted by mobile internet users.
infodemic related to COVID-19. Social media users in India have increased from
The concept of Infodemic 142.2 in 2015 to 376.1 million in 2020.(9) Social
Every epidemic is associated with a tsunami of media platforms like, facebook, whatsapp, youtube,
information but also within this information there twitter, instagram, telegram, TikTok are quite active
exists ample expanse of misinformation and rumors. in spreading both information and misinformation
Even the epidemics which took place in middle age on the current pandemic.
had similar phenomenon, but the difference in Any message in the form of a text or a video that is
present pandemic is the presence of social media.(5) rolled out through these media platforms will reach
Social media platforms, if used judiciously can act as large number of people in a very short span of time
a very important source of information. Their and gets viral. Misinformation that flows through
popularity, wider use, user friendliness, visual these media may be a totally wrong information,
impact, interactivity can make any message spread partially right information or correct information
to ‘N’ number of people in a very short span of time. which is projected in a wrong way. People spread this
Hyperactive and overenthusiastic social media kind of information to impose their own
platforms can potentially amplify the information bias/thoughts on the people, to gain publicity, to
leading to faster and further spread of promote their self-interest or ignorance of right
misinformation, rumors, and misconceptions. WHO information. The last set of people may be of
defines infodemic as a rapid spread of all kinds of intension to help society but they cannot filter the
information concerning a problem such that the right and wrong information due to their lack of
solution is made more difficult.(6) COVID-19 seems knowledge. There are some instances where the
to be a true social media infodemic compared to wrong messages are falsely tagged with names of
previous viral outbreaks. Though the previous professional and international health related
pandemics like SARS and MERS caused worldwide organizations in order to make people believe those
panic, the current pandemic due to CoV 19 have messages.(10)
been particularly exaggerated by social media.(7) 2. Epidemiology related aspects
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed Novel nature of the COVID-19 virus has attracted the
his deeper concern on this issue and said that “the attention of social media. The domains like structure,
world is not only fighting the “common enemy” of infectivity, pathogenicity, mutation, effect of
the coronavirus “but our enemy is also the growing temperature and humidity on the multiplication and
surge of misinformation” about COVID-19 disease. spread of virus has given major scope for spread of
To overcome the virus, “we need to urgently information and misinformation. Non availability of
promote facts and science” and “promote hope and specific treatment and vaccine for the prevention of
solidarity over despair and division.”(8) infection has also added to this pool.
Root causes of COVID Infodemic- Fish bone 3. Policy related aspects
We have tried to explain the root cause analysis of As the disease is a novel one, the entire country is in
COVID-19 through fish bone diagram (Figure-1). The the process of developing new policies and
root or the tail is represented by the social media guidelines. Differences in the content of guidelines,
related components, the body represents four broad serial evolution of policies, each state or province
areas around which most of the misinformation designing their own policies and strategies have
revolves and the tip is represented by the outcome influenced the development of misinformation
viz. Infodemic and the consequences associated with 4. Behavioral issues
it. Indians are voracious social media users. The
1. Social media usage and spread of misinformation lockdown announced by the government and work
There is exponential growth of internet users in both from home have resulted in extensive use of the
rural and urban parts of India over the last decade. social media platforms. People indulge in spreading
With the introduction of much ambitious Digital the information and misinformation received
India Initiative added by wider internet penetration through the social media without fact check. Often,
has resulted in growth of digital population in India they pick the most extreme pictures which totally
to the extent of 688 million as on January 2020. It is manipulate the scenario and make it viral to gain
worthy to note that major proportion of this digital publicity. Noncompliance towards cyber related
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rules, ignorance about correct information and Steps taken to prevent the spread of
ability to differentiate between the sources of right misinformation
and wrong information can act as a major factor Brainard and Hunter through their agent based
influencing spread of misinformation. model for prediction of spread of infectious diseases
5. Health care system related issues based on human behavior found that that by
Delayed and inadequate risk communication by the reducing the amount of harmful advice circulating
health care providers was a major drawback which online by just 10% or making at least 20% of the
has resulted in spread of misinformation. Hospital population unable to share fake advice, reduced the
based care being given more focus at initial phase of severity of disease outbreak. Thus we need to take
epidemic giving rise to panic on PPEs and ventilators active steps in preventing the spread of
have further raked up the chances of spread of misinformation through social media.(11)
misinformation. Inadequate knowledge on the World Health Organization has taken a step to
concept of quarantine, its difference with isolation, publish mythbursters in their website and
lack of quarantine facilities have further fueled this disseminated them through information leaflets
risk across the world.(12) It has also made a positive
Misinformation on COVID-19 attempt in convincing the social media companies in
Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, the keeping a check on the correctness of the messages
spread of misinformation has become rampant. The being circulated through their platforms.
messages carrying misinformation are usually Government of India has also advised the states to
tailored on the prevalent socio-cultural norms of the undertake necessary steps to curb this menace.
community in which they are rolled out. For example Government of Karnataka, by exercising its powers
consumption of garlic, cow’s urine (Gou mutra), under Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 released 'The
turmeric powder are common culturally accepted Karnataka Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations,
practices in India, which are also reflected in 2020'. While these regulations largely deal with the
messages related to COVID-19. Looking at the trend obligations of hospitals and laboratories, they also
of misinformation in social media platforms, they can stipulate that no person, institute or organization
be categorized as those related to, (Table 1) should use any print or electronic media for
Apart from the ones mentioned in the table, many spreading mis-information regarding the
non-health related misinformation pertaining to Coronavirus. Employers are strongly advised to make
duration of lockdown period, economic slowdown, sure that their employees do not, deliberately or
non-availability of essential commodities in the otherwise, engage in any conduct which may be
market, military being called to control the situation, construed as spreading mis-information about the
exhaustion of food and agricultural products in the Coronavirus.(13) Messages are being circulated in
country etc are flowing in full swing across the social media as legal actions will be taken on the
media. people who are involved in spread such information
Consequences of infodemic [Using Infodemic to control Infodemic].
Infodemic causes fear, panic and confusion among What else needs to be done?
general population. It influences people to indulge in The government should ensure people receive
practices which have no role in prevention of updates only from credible sources which include
infection and its spread. Eventually people loose scientists and researchers in the field of infectious
trust on the health care delivery system and diseases, community medicine, microbiology and
evidence based interventions. Reinforcement of emergency medicine etc. Announcements from the
wrong information through social media will lead to WHO, Centres for Disease Control USA and the
mental health problems like anxiety, stress and Indian Council of Medical Research should receive
depression among people. Rampant spread of wrong paramount importance. Any information that comes
information will force the health care workers to out through any media houses or social media
shift their attention from prevention of infection to platforms should compulsorily cite the primary
prevention of spread of this information. Practicing source.
wrong things will provide a sense of security among Apart from regulatory approach, there is a need to
people, which may adversely affect the response to adapt stringent fact checking mechanism by the
preventive interventions.(10) social media companies. They have to actively screen
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INDIAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY HEALTH / VOL 32 / NO 02 (SPECIAL ISSUE) / APRIL 2020 [Infodemic overtaking…] | Kulkarni P et al
all the messages that pass through their channels Organization India. URL available from
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All authors have contributed equally. influenza, monkeypox, and norovirus. Simulation
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Tables
TABLE 1 CLASSIFICATION OF MISINFORMATION RELATED TO COVID 19
Transmission Effect of weather Prevention Treatment and cure Miscellaneous
conditions
Consumption of Indian summer can Consumption of garlic, There is no cure for COVID-19 God or spiritual powers
meat be protective turmeric powder, cow’s urine will protect
and application of mustard oil
to nose
Mosquito bites Cold weather and Consumption of alcohol Once affected with COVID, COVID-19 is a biological
snowfall can the person remains infected warfare
prevent for life
multiplication of
virus
Handling the Regular rinsing of nose with If infected with COVID death is Virus is killed when it
news papers saline certain comes in contact with
lamps (Deepam)
Taking hot water bath Antibiotics can protect against Government is hiding the
COVID number of cases and
showing us less in the
media
Taking vaccines against Holding the breath or cough
pneumonia and can prevent for 10 seconds can cure COVID
COVID infection
Spraying alcohol and chlorine
all over the body
Tying neem leaves and placing
turmeric outside the house
Figures
FIGURE 1 FISH BONE DIAGRAM FOR ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS OF COVID -19 INFODEMIC

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