JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Recurrent outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus in farmed poultry, and reports of infections in dairy cattle herds in the United States since March 2024, raise growing concerns about the spillover threat to human populations leading to a potential influenza pandemic. Efforts to prevent and respond to such an event will require a wide range of public health measures including vaccination. However, the COVID-19 pandemic showed that information quality can significantly impact the effectiveness of such measures by influencing public understanding and trust. Amid the growing threat of H5N1, we analysed the content of social media posts from Facebook and Instagram related to HPAI. Using 40 keywords associated with misinformation, we identified over 500 posts referencing H5N1 and these terms. Our content analysis identifies seven main targets of attacks including government, public health authorities, and international organizations. We found that the most widespread topic in misinformative narratives was that authority figures purposefully engineer pandemics for myriad gains. Other themes include societal destruction, and religious allusions and prophecies. We conclude the need to continue to monitor the content of misinformation to inform evolving public health responses to HPAI.