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Stefanie Steele, MPH1, Ava W. Navin, MA1, Leisa Weld, PhD1, Indira Srinivasan, MS1, Carol Y. Crawford, MPA2, Nathan Huebner, BA3, Natalie Ferguson, MPH2, Marissa Osborne3, Chris C. Martin, BA2, Holly R. Wilson, MHSE4, Brigette L. Finkelstein, MPH5, Kim Distal6, Maggie Kelly7, Charles Green, MFA8, Ilanit Kateb, MBA9, Erin Burns9, Michelle Weinberg, MD1, Patricia M. Simone, MD1, Paul Arguin, MD1, and Phyllis Kozarsky, MD1. (1) Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Diseases, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-03, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-498-1648, zqe5@cdc.gov, (2) Office of Health Communication, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Diseases, 1600 Clifton Road, MS C-14, Atlanta, GA 30333, (3) Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Diseases, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-03, Atlanta, GA 30333, (4) CDC/NCID Hepatitis Branch, MS G37, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, (5) National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road MS G-37, Atlanta, GA 30329, (6) Division of AIDS, STD, and TB Laboratory Research, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS A-12, Atlanta, GA 30333, (7) National Center for Birth Defects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-87, Atlanta, GA 30333, (8) ATSDR, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-33, Atlanta, GA 30333, (9) Office of Communication, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Diseases, 1600 Clifton Road, MS D-42, Atlanta, GA 30333
During the outbreak of SARS, web-tracking software provided invaluable information that enabled messages to be focused and refined for specific audiences. Health communication was an integral part of the SARS response by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ensuring that knowledge about prevention measures and risks reached the public, health-care providers, and the media as the outbreak unfolded. Internet-based materials, including alerts, guidelines, and training materials, were made accessible through close collaboration with CDC’s web team. This material was written for multiple audiences, from highly technical to low literacy, and was translated into eight languages. From mid-March through June 25, 2003, 368 documents were generated or updated for the SARS website; 126 were related to travel and quarantine. Web-tracking software provided data about the volume of traffic on the website, which reflects the demand for this information: these documents received approximately 9 million hits in March, 48 million in April, and 30 million in May. Roughly 72% of the website visits to travel and quarantine documents originated from North America, 14% from Asia, and 7% from Western Europe. Cities where visits originated frequently were Taipei, Hong Kong, and Toronto. Web-tracking software also provides data on referring site, time and date of visit, and search phrases; this information about constituents and their interests enables health messages to be specifically targeted. The Internet has proved to be a reciprocal tool: disseminating public health messages and in turn providing feedback about the users who are eager for the information.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Communication Technology, Outbreaks
Related Web page: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.