Building an infodemic management network in Serbia: Insights from public health practitioners

BACKGROUND: Vaccine coverage against COVID-19 in Serbia remains suboptimal, although COVID-19 vaccines became available to the public early during the pandemic. The presence of the infodemic, an overabundance of false, harmful, or outdated information, is one of the root causes of stagnation in vaccine demand. The Laboratory for infodemiology and infodemic management has been established at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, to coordinate the efforts and mitigate the harmful impact of the infodemic. METHODS: Training for public health (PH) professionals, civil society organizations (CSOs), and academia was conducted in three Institutes of Public Health in different regions of Serbia. The training included an introduction to infodemic management and social listening, followed by group discussions. A questionnaire was given to all participants to share their experience about the infodemic sources, effects, and needs of the populations they serve. RESULTS: A total of 36 PH professionals, CSO representatives, and academics filled out the questionnaire. Over half of them (52.8%) had a primary affiliation in a public health institution and over 15 years of work experience. Although 83.3% of the participants stated that the infodemic presents a major public health issue in Serbia, only 16.7% were satisfied with current infodemic management activities in Serbia. Participants identify family members, doctors, and personal reasoning as the top three factors influencing health behavior. Participants identify the lack of institutional trust as the most important problem in infodemic management. CONCLUSIONS: Insights from public health professionals, CSOs, and academia point to infodemic management being one of the main priorities in future public health activities. A stronger collaboration of experts of different backgrounds is needed to mitigate the complex nature of the infodemic. KEY MESSAGES: • Public health practitioners recognize the importance of the infodemic and search for adequate response. • The lack of institutional trust is one of the main obstacles to effective infodemic management.