Public Information Demand During the 2026 Bundibugyo Virus Outbreak: A Dual Infodemiology Analysis Across Six Ebola Virus Disease Outbreaks
Hakkı Öztürk, Berrak Itır Aylı · 2026
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Description
Hakkı Öztürk and Berrak Itır Aylı published this infodemiology study in 2026. It examines what the public searches for during Ebola outbreaks, using the 2026 Bundibugyo virus outbreak in Congo and Uganda as its focus. That outbreak, the first of its kind without a licensed vaccine, was shadowed by conspiracy claims, violence against response teams, and attacks on treatment centers. The authors combined search suggestions with trend data across six outbreaks from 2014 to 2026.
From 83 seed terms they gathered 7,347 unique suggested queries in English and French. Risk and transmission questions dominated. Search interest in false claims rose and fell together with overall Ebola interest. The French suggestions carried six times more misinformation and conspiracy content than the English ones, and nearly nine times more fear-related content. The authors argue that response messaging designed for English speakers misses the audiences most at risk.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Hakkı Öztürk, Berrak Itır Aylı |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 77 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |