JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

After COVID-19, new mass infectious diseases such as influenza A are spreading and becoming more contagious. The public needs to be sufficiently concerned about mass epidemics to reduce the negative impact of mass epidemics.

Objective:

This study conducted an analysis of 9,111 blog posts related to influenza A, aiming to understand the public's sentiments towards mass epidemic infections in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Weibo was selected as the data source, and a statistical analysis was carried out to assess the level of attention across different regions.

Methods:

The collected data underwent LDA topic modeling and BiLSTM models to analyze sentiment.

Results:

The findings indicated a higher number of posts originating from eastern provinces compared to western provinces in China, with inland provinces displaying greater interest in influenza A compared to coastal regions. Women exhibited a higher level of concern than men, and regular users constituted the majority of the user types. Public concerns about influenza A were categorized into 23 topics, with six main topics identified. The overall sentiment expressed by the public leaned predominantly negative (87%), while positive opinions were linked to preventive measures and reliable vaccines. Negative sentiments reflected the concerns and discomfort experienced by individuals.

Conclusions:

These findings underscore the significance of implementing effective prevention and control measures, providing reliable vaccines, and disseminating accurate information to address negative sentiments and bolster public confidence in managing epidemics.