Ebola and Twitter: Lessons Learned

This article is part of the network’s archive of useful research information. This article is closed to new comments due to inactivity.  We welcome new content which can be done by submitting an article for review or take part in discussions in an open topic or submit a blog post to take your discussions online.

Published on 11 Dec 2015 - Tatiana Vorovchenko

MSc by Research in Clinical Medicine candidate, University of Oxford

Twitter plays role in information distribution during emergencies, and it is widely used by public health organisations during public health crises. Twitter has facilitated transmission of both accurate information and misinformation during the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Twitter activity during the recent Ebola outbreak was more likely to coincide with news events rather than disease dynamics. Twitter provides a unique opportunity for public health organisations to listen to their audience and to share scientifically accurate information. Public health organisations could do more to engage with the Twitter population during the recent Ebola outbreak. Such organisations may benefit from employing humorous and emotional content and/or collaborating with accounts with a high level of Twitter engagement.