There is also the potential use of social media as data sources for public health surveillance. However, social media data is essentially observational data from online communication and is not designed for public health purposes. Following is a brief overview of some of the uses of social media data for public health surveillance and some of the data's strengths and limitations.
There are three main applications of social media in public health surveillance: epidemiological monitoring and surveillance, situational awareness during emergency response, and communication surveillance (Table 1). Social media and other population-based digital platforms provide additional data sources for public health surveillance to detect disease outbreaks and estimate disease incidence. Questions remain about how best to analyze social media data for public health surveillance.
Public health agencies must clearly define the purposes of surveillance systems, the scope of social media data to be used, and how the data should be analyzed. Given these concerns, many studies of social media related to public health have been conducted using only publicly available data.
DISCUSSION
Company A did not keep records of the origin of the leafy greens or other ingredients used in the manufacturing process, limiting traceability. Background: On August 21, 2013, the Event-based Surveillance and Response System of the Department of Health, Philippines recorded a foodborne illness among residents of a coastal village in Eastern Samar, Philippines. Methods: A case was defined as every person in Arteche, Eastern Samar, who developed dry mouth and a burning sensation in the throat from August 15 to August 27, 2013.
In the cohort study, consumption of turtle meat and turtle meat soup was associated with disease. Other reported cases of turtle meat poisoning in the Philippines suggest that turtle consumption is an ongoing practice in the country. By publishing information about outbreaks of sea turtle poisoning in the Philippines, we hope to raise awareness of the potential serious health effects of consuming these endangered marine animals.
Although legally protected in the Philippines,3 sea turtles are considered a local delicacy, especially in coastal areas. A case was defined as any person in Arteche, Eastern Samar, who developed dry mouth and a burning sensation in the throat from August 15 to 27, 2013.
RESULTS
The signs and symptoms of the cases and the incubation period were similar to those of other chelonitoxism outbreaks.2 The dose-response relationship provides strong evidence for the source of the outbreak. An environmental assessment of the Gold Coast restaurant was conducted and environmental specimens were assessed for contamination. Conclusion: This PSP outbreak was caused by the consumption of saxitoxin-contaminated green mussel stock.
Controls were randomly selected individuals in the same households or in the vicinity of the two villages. We also thank Christopher Mendoza from the Institute of Marine Sciences for laboratory examinations. An investigation was conducted to identify the possible mode of transmission, the source of the outbreak, and recommend preventive and control measures.
We would like to thank the Director of the Perak State Health Department for his support of this study. The outbreak investigation followed FCCDC outbreak response guidelines.6 The investigation team was mobilized within 24 hours of the report of the jaundice cases. However, most of the affected community of the Nukuloa settlement used the privately owned Waica (Dayal) dam (Figure 2), which was inspected by the outbreak investigation team.
At the time of the assessment, the water source had no surrounding barrier to prevent human or animal access to the dam.
CONCLUSION
Objective: To assess the public health risk posed by the ongoing Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic from West Africa to Pacific Island States and Territories and highlight priority risk management actions for preparedness and response. METHODS: The likelihood of EVD importation and magnitude of public health impacts in Pacific Island States and Territories were assessed to determine overall risk. The ability of Pacific island states and territories to respond appropriately varies widely between (and within) states, but is generally limited.
Most Pacific island countries and territories are considered lower middle income countries.14. The research highlighted that achieving the necessary core capacities in Pacific Island countries (and territories) is difficult. Access to laboratory facilities to test for EVD is limited in Pacific island countries and territories.
Risk characterization matrix for importation of Ebola virus disease (EVD) into Pacific Island countries and territories, February 2015. Introduction: There are large Pacific Island communities in western and south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Methods: Interviews were conducted with members of the Pacific Island community (N = 12) and health professionals associated with the Pacific Island community (N = 7) in 2013.
A Pacific Island health worker, with in-depth knowledge of the community and extensive experience in community engagement, assisted with the recruitment of community participants. This was also highlighted by the health staff; one specifically identified that some of the Pacific Island families move a secondary target. In comparison, all of the health professionals interviewed believed that this was a major barrier with misinformation and myths about immunization and low levels of health literacy in the Pacific Island community.
As a result of previous advice given to the public health unit regarding the importance of church in the Pacific Island community, the interviewees were asked their views on the provision of information about immunization by the church. Attitudes and beliefs about immunization in the Pacific Island community in Australia may be influenced by experiences in the country of origin. The Pacific Island community in western Sydney has been disproportionately affected by measles outbreaks in recent years.
Both groups agreed that missing out on immunization occurs in the Pacific island community due to migration between countries. This reduces representativeness for the rest of the Pacific island community and also the possibility that other important emerging themes were not discovered.
CONCLUSIONS
This study has highlighted many of the challenges of providing HIV and STI services in remote parts of the Solomon Islands. To ensure the reliability of the data, we manually checked the information in accordance with the list of relevant cases confirmed by the WHO. The increase in the number of cases from April 10 onwards was accompanied by an increase in the number of posts, indicating increased public awareness of the disease as the outbreak appeared to gain momentum.
From the perspective of Chinese health authorities, the rapid disclosure of information on social media appeared to have accelerated official response and reporting. To remedy this, it is necessary to verify information against credible sources, including the WHO and the affected country's health authorities. The Shanghai health authority later ordered the temporary closure of LPMs during the height of the outbreak.
The information was later spread by social networking sites by reposting the original report. The final result was the proportion of points achieved in relation to the possible points awarded. Panels in the upcoming EQA rounds in the Western Pacific region will consist of multiple dengue serotypes and titer ranges and other arboviruses that are prevalent in the region.
Thirteen of the 18 laboratories participating in Module B also performed tests for the detection of anti-DENV IgG. The authors are grateful to the national-level public health laboratories that participated in the EQA and to Professor Leo Yee Sin of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, for assistance in obtaining dengue antibody-positive serum samples. Yuzo Arima, a May Chiewa and Tamano Matsuia on behalf of the Emerging Disease Surveillance and Response Team, Division of Health Security and Emergencies, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific c.
A summary of the dengue surveillance systems, case definitions, laboratory sampling methods and serotype data is included. Finally, the meeting was an opportunity to undertake preliminary consultation with delegates on the future direction of the Asia-Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases (APSED)3 and the roadmap for the implementation of IHR (2005) in the Western Pacific . The first day of the meeting focused on global and Pacific emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Other results of the meeting are recorded in the meeting report available at http://www.wpro.who.int/emerging_diseases/meetings/. The third day of the meeting focused on future priorities for IHR core capacity building (2005) in the Pacific.
