Researchers from GW, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Georgia found in a new study that conspiracy theories surrounding Zika virus vaccines published on social media can put vulnerable people at risk of not following medical advice, according to Science Daily.
The researchers, including David Broniatowski, a professor of engineering management and systems engineering at GW, used real-time social media monitoring to find conversations about Zika virus vaccines and identify the conspiracy theories being discussed.
“Even though the science is relatively clear, we found many conspiracy theories that could be affecting people’s health-related decisions, such as whether to vaccinate,” Broniatowski told Science Daily. “Unfortunately, the people most affected are from the most vulnerable communities, with little access to the facts.”
The researchers added that health authorities could use this technique to identify and respond to conspiracy theories that could potentially be harmful to public health, cutting the time it normally takes to respond and helping to debunk these conspiracy theories quickly.
“Shortly after Zika rose to prominence, we were able to track these conversations very quickly using our social media monitoring method,” said Broniatowski, the GW professor, according to Science Daily. “This is a promising approach to the fast response to disease, and could help counteract the negative impact of these conspiracy theories in future.”
The conspiracy theories studied included a claim that the Zika virus vaccine caused microcephaly – a condition in which babies are born with small heads and brains which has been linked the the Zika virus – and that pharmaceutical companies were blaming the Zika virus to profit off the vaccines.
“Once people have made up their minds about something it’s hard for them to change their opinions,” Mark Dredze, a professor from Johns Hopkins University and the lead author of the study, told Science Daily. “I’d find it surprising if this sort of story really had no impact whatsoever, and I can’t imagine it would make people more likely to pursue a healthy response.”
