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Risk Communication and Infodemic Misframing in Legionella spp. Environmental Surveillance: An Infodemiology Case
Antonios Papadakis1,2,3, Eleftherios Koufakis4, Nikolaos Raptakis3
1Department of Public and Community Health, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece.
Microorganisms
|March 28, 2026
Summary
Misinterpretation of Legionella surveillance data during a travel-associated Legionnaires' disease event caused public concern. Environmental monitoring showed no increased risk, despite media misframing of laboratory results.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Environmental Science
- Infodemiology
Background:
- Travel-associated Legionnaires' disease (TALD) outbreaks can cause public alarm.
- Communication of environmental surveillance data requires careful contextualization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the framing and amplification of surveillance data during a TALD investigation.
- To assess the relationship between media reporting, public search interest, and environmental findings.
Main Methods:
- Mixed infodemiology and environmental surveillance approach.
- Analysis of 95 online media items in nine languages and Google Trends data.
- Water system surveillance in hotels linked to TALD cases.
Main Results:
- Approximately 50% of hotel water samples exceeded the laboratory reporting limit for Legionella spp.
- Significant numerical misframing of results occurred across different language media markets.
- Public search interest was transient and geographically limited.
- Environmental surveillance revealed no increase in Legionella pneumophila risk post-event.
Conclusions:
- Loss of context in reporting surveillance data led to inconsistent public risk perception.
- Conflation of laboratory reporting limits with regulatory thresholds contributed to misinterpretation.
- No evidence of increased environmental hazard was found despite public concern.
Keywords:
CreteLegionellainfodemiologymalinformationmisinformationnumerical misframingrisk communicationtravel-associated Legionnaires’ diseaseMore Related Videos
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