COVID-19 infodemic management strategies in South America

Abstract

Objective. To identify evidence of infodemic management strategies in the ministry of health websites in 10 South American countries (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Method. “Strategy” was defined as the planned use of resources to achieve of materialize certain objectives — in this case, fighting the infodemic. The official ministry of health websites in each country were examined from 28 September to 10 October 2020 in search of materials, electronic pages or apps suggesting the existence of an infodemic management strategy, information about the infodemic for citizens, and communication materials such as videos and posters. Additionally, using “infodemic” as a keyword, official documents (rulings, decrees, protocols) mentioning infodemic management measures were searched. The results were classified into three categories: existence of an infodemic management strategy; existence of infodemic control actions; absence of information on the topic. Results. Of the 10 countries analyzed, only Argentina had an infodemic management strategy. Infodemic was mentioned as a topic in the ministry of health websites in Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and Paraguay; and no mention was identified in the ministry of health websites in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Conclusions. The studied countries do not make use of the available knowledge regarding infodemic management strategies.