Measuring the burden of infodemics : summary of the methods and results of the fifth WHO infodemic management conference

Background: An infodemic is excess information, including false or misleading information, that spreads in digital and physical environments during a public health emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by an unprecedented global infodemic that has led to confusion about the benefits of medical and public health interventions, with substantial impact on risk-taking and health-seeking behaviors, eroding trust in health authorities and compromising the effectiveness of public health responses and policies. Standardized measures are needed to quantify the harmful impacts of the infodemic in a systematic and methodologically robust manner, as well as harmonizing highly divergent approaches currently explored for this purpose. This can serve as a foundation for a systematic, evidence-based approach to monitoring, identifying, and mitigating future infodemic harms in emergency preparedness and prevention. Objective: In this paper, we summarize the Fifth World Health Organization (WHO) Infodemic Management Conference structure, proceedings, outcomes, and proposed actions seeking to identify the interdisciplinary approaches and frameworks needed to enable the measurement of the burden of infodemics. Methods: An iterative human-centered design (HCD) approach and concept mapping were used to facilitate focused discussions and allow for the generation of actionable outcomes and recommendations. The discussions included 86 participants representing diverse scientific disciplines and health authorities from 28 countries across all WHO regions, along with observers from civil society and global public health–implementing partners. A thematic map capturing the concepts matching the key contributing factors to the public health burden of infodemics was used throughout the conference to frame and contextualize discussions. Five key areas for immediate action were identified. Results: The 5 key areas for the development of metrics to assess the burden of infodemics and associated interventions included (1) developing standardized definitions and ensuring the adoption thereof; (2) improving the map of concepts influencing the burden of infodemics; (3) conducting a review of evidence, tools, and data sources; (4) setting up a technical working group; and (5) addressing immediate priorities for postpandemic recovery and resilience building. The summary report consolidated group input toward a common vocabulary with standardized terms, concepts, study designs, measures, and tools to estimate the burden of infodemics and the effectiveness of infodemic management interventions. Conclusions: Standardizing measurement is the basis for documenting the burden of infodemics on health systems and population health during emergencies. Investment is needed into the development of practical, affordable, evidence-based, and systematic methods that are legally and ethically balanced for monitoring infodemics; generating diagnostics, infodemic insights, and recommendations; and developing interventions, action-oriented guidance, policies, support options, mechanisms, and tools for infodemic managers and emergency program managers.peer-reviewe

An Extended Study of the Precursory Signs of Forbush Decreases: New Findings over the Years 2008 – 2016

In spite of the fact that the current Solar Cycle 24 is close to its end now, it is a less active Solar Cycle, during its time period (2008 – 2016) and a lot of Forbush decreases of cosmic ray intensity with rigidity 10 GV and amplitude greater than 2% were recorded by the ground-based neutron monitors. Among these events, the ones associated with sudden geomagnetic storm commencements (SSCs) and presenting a first harmonic of cosmic ray anisotropy greater than 0.8% were examined. Cosmic ray data recorded at the neutron monitor stations were obtained from the European high resolution neutron monitor database, while the Forbush decreases, accompanied by their characteristics were accessed from the updated Database of the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN). Solar, interplanetary and geomagnetic characteristic parameters of each event separately have been studied in detail and analyzed. It was shown through the usage of the “ring of neutron monitor stations” method that, in some cases, precursory signals before the main phase of the event appeared. After an extended study of the Forbush decreases precursors during the examined period, the appearance of pre-decreases and/or pre-increases of the cosmic ray intensity before the beginning of the events, acting as precursory signals, were identified in almost half of the cases studied. In combination with other parameters, their common features are discussed, with the purpose of monitoring and possibly forecasting the space-weather conditions. © 2019, Springer Nature B.V

Unusual Cosmic Ray Variations During the Forbush Decreases of June 2015

Although the current Solar Cycle 24 is characterized by low solar activity, an intense geomagnetic storm (G4) was recorded in June 2015. It was a complex phenomenon that began on 22 June 2015 as the result of intense solar activity, accompanied by several flares and coronal mass ejections that interacted with the Earth’s magnetic field. A Forbush decrease was also recorded at the neutron monitors of the worldwide network, with an amplitude of 8.4%, and in its recovery phase, a second Forbush decrease followed, with an amplitude of 4.0% for cosmic rays of 10 GV obtained with the global survey method. The Dst index reached a minimum value of −204 nT that was detected on 23 June 2015 at 05:00 – 06:00 UT, while the Kp index reached the value eight. For our analysis, we used hourly cosmic-ray intensity data recorded by polar, mid-, and high-latitude neutron monitor stations obtained from the High Resolution Neutron Monitor Database. The cosmic-ray anisotropy variation at the ecliptic plane was also estimated and was found to be highly complex. We study and discuss the unusual and complex cosmic-ray and geomagnetic response to these solar events. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature

The accountability of the private sector towards citizens in times of crisis: vaccines, medicines and equipment

In this article, we examine what the role of the private sector in times of crises is and whether the private sector is, and can be held to be, accountable. COVID-19 has amplified the difficulties with public-private partnerships and this article addresses several aspects concerning business enterprises, in particular transnational corporations, human rights and health sector activities, highlighting the key aspects to understand and address accountability issues. The article also explores accountability for the private sector, the processes to ensure accountability, and the relevance of regulation and self-regulation

Solar Activity Parameters and Associated Forbush Decreases During the Minimum Between Cycles 23 and 24 and the Ascending Phase of Cycle 24

We study the Forbush decreases in cosmic-ray intensity from January 2008 to December 2013, covering the minimum between Solar Cycles 23 and 24 and the ascending phase of Cycle 24. We performed a statistical analysis of 617 events and concentrated on three of the most important ones. We used the IZMIRAN database of Forbush effects obtained by processing the data of the worldwide neutron monitor network using the global survey method. The first event occurred on 18 February 2011 with a (Formula presented.) decrease of cosmic rays with 10 GV rigidity, the second on 8 March 2012 with an amplitude of (Formula presented.) , and the third on 14 July 2012 with an amplitude of (Formula presented.). For these three events, we also studied the events that occurred on the Sun and the way that these affected the interplanetary space, and finally provoked the decreases of the galactic cosmic rays near Earth. We found that each neutron monitor records these decreases, which depend on the cut-off rigidity of the station. We carried out a statistical analysis of the amplitude of the cosmic-ray decreases with solar and geomagnetic parameters. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Precursory Signals of Forbush Decreases Not Connected with Shock Waves

Forbush decreases (FDs) are sharp reductions of the cosmic-ray (CR) intensity, following intense solar activity such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their corresponding interplanetary shocks. In some cases, shocks create sudden storm commencements (SSCs) at the Earth’s magnetosphere with significant interest for space-weather studies. Preincreases and/or predecreases of CR intensity before the onset of FDs, known as precursory signals, have been widely examined by many authors. In this work, an attempt to define precursory signals that are not related to SSCs is presented. For the present analysis, CR data recorded by the ground-based Neutron Monitor Network as well as data on solar flares, CMEs, solar-wind speed, interplanetary magnetic field, and geomagnetic indices for the years 1969 - 2019 are used. To identify FDs that present precursors, the adopted criteria are mainly the FD amplitude (> 2%) and the equatorial CR anisotropy before the onset time (> 0.8%). The analysis of FDs and the study of their asymptotic-longitude CR distribution for precursors are based on the Global Survey Method and the Ring of Stations Method, respectively. Precursory signals are identified in 17 out of 27 events without SSCs