Harnessing big data for communicable tropical and subtropical disorders: Implications from a systematic review of the literature
Academic Article
Publication Date:
2018
Short description:
Harnessing big data for communicable tropical and subtropical disorders: Implications from a systematic review of the literature / Gianfredi, Vincenza; Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi; Nucci, Daniele; Martini, Mariano; Rosselli, Roberto; Minelli, Liliana; Moretti, Massimo. - In: FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH. - ISSN 2296-2565. - 6:90(2018), pp. 1-15. [10.3389/fpubh.2018.00090]
abstract:
aim: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), communicable tropical and
sub-tropical diseases occur solely, or mainly in the tropics, thriving in hot, and humid
conditions. Some of these disorders termed as neglected tropical diseases are par-
ticularly overlooked. Communicable tropical/sub-tropical diseases represent a diverse
group of communicable disorders occurring in 149 countries, favored by tropical and
sub-tropical conditions, affecting more than one billion people and imposing a dramatic
societal and economic burden.
methods: A systematic review of the extant scholarly literature was carried out,
searching in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. The search string used included proper
keywords, like big data, nontraditional data sources, social media, social networks, info-
demiology, infoveillance, novel data streams (NDS), digital epidemiology, digital behavior,
Google Trends, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Ebola, Zika, dengue,
Chikungunya, Chagas, and the other neglected tropical diseases.
Results: 47 original, observational studies were included in the current systematic review:
1 focused on Chikungunya, 6 on dengue, 19 on Ebola, 2 on Malaria, 1 on Mayaro virus,
2 on West Nile virus, and 16 on Zika. Fifteen were dedicated on developing and validating
forecasting techniques for real-time monitoring of neglected tropical diseases, while the
remaining studies investigated public reaction to infectious outbreaks. Most studies explored
a single nontraditional data source, with Twitter being the most exploited tool (25 studies).
conclusion: Even though some studies have shown the feasibility of utilizing NDS as an
effective tool for predicting epidemic outbreaks and disseminating accurate, high-quality
information concerning neglected tropical diseases, some gaps should be properly
underlined. Out of the 47 articles included, only 7 were focusing on neglected tropical
diseases, while all the other covered communicable tropical/sub-tropical diseases, and
the main determinant of this unbalanced coverage seems to be the media impact and
resonance. Furthermore, efforts in integrating diverse NDS should be made. As such,
taking into account these limitations, further research in the field is needed.
sub-tropical diseases occur solely, or mainly in the tropics, thriving in hot, and humid
conditions. Some of these disorders termed as neglected tropical diseases are par-
ticularly overlooked. Communicable tropical/sub-tropical diseases represent a diverse
group of communicable disorders occurring in 149 countries, favored by tropical and
sub-tropical conditions, affecting more than one billion people and imposing a dramatic
societal and economic burden.
methods: A systematic review of the extant scholarly literature was carried out,
searching in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. The search string used included proper
keywords, like big data, nontraditional data sources, social media, social networks, info-
demiology, infoveillance, novel data streams (NDS), digital epidemiology, digital behavior,
Google Trends, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Ebola, Zika, dengue,
Chikungunya, Chagas, and the other neglected tropical diseases.
Results: 47 original, observational studies were included in the current systematic review:
1 focused on Chikungunya, 6 on dengue, 19 on Ebola, 2 on Malaria, 1 on Mayaro virus,
2 on West Nile virus, and 16 on Zika. Fifteen were dedicated on developing and validating
forecasting techniques for real-time monitoring of neglected tropical diseases, while the
remaining studies investigated public reaction to infectious outbreaks. Most studies explored
a single nontraditional data source, with Twitter being the most exploited tool (25 studies).
conclusion: Even though some studies have shown the feasibility of utilizing NDS as an
effective tool for predicting epidemic outbreaks and disseminating accurate, high-quality
information concerning neglected tropical diseases, some gaps should be properly
underlined. Out of the 47 articles included, only 7 were focusing on neglected tropical
diseases, while all the other covered communicable tropical/sub-tropical diseases, and
the main determinant of this unbalanced coverage seems to be the media impact and
resonance. Furthermore, efforts in integrating diverse NDS should be made. As such,
taking into account these limitations, further research in the field is needed.
Iris type:
1.1 Articolo in rivista
Keywords:
Big data; Chikungunya; Communicable tropical diseases; Dengue; Ebola; Mayaro virus; West Nile virus; Zika; Public Health; Environmental and Occupational Health
List of contributors:
Gianfredi, Vincenza; Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi; Nucci, Daniele; Martini, Mariano; Rosselli, Roberto; Minelli, Liliana; Moretti, Massimo
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