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The information wave concerning Hantavirus is fading but not disappearing. Ebola, on the other hand, is advancing at a faster pace. This is what the new RISP report - Infodemic Report for Public Health - for the week of May 13-19, issued by the Pisa Public Health Research Lab of the University of Pisa, reveals. Following the exponential growth recorded in the week of May 6-12 (+500% of content produced), this most recent monitoring shows that the narrative surrounding Hantavirus has entered a period of stabilization and cooling, particularly with the confirmation that there are presently no positive cases in Italy. The most noteworthy discovery of the week, however, is Ebola's unexpected appearance as a new competitive issue in the digital public discourse. Since May 18, about 4,500 pieces of content related to the infection have been discovered, representing a 3,200% increase over previous days. Unlike the early stages of Hantavirus, Ebola is spreading simultaneously across primary news sources, internet news, and, most importantly, social media, demonstrating the digital ecosystem's growing ability to respond quickly to highly emotional health crises. "The Ebola example highlights how, in today's world, the development of a possible health danger is enough to trigger the digital ecosystem into a state of information acceleration. The rapidity with which the topic has acquired traction in online debate indicates that social media no longer follows the traditional media cycle, but rather responds in real time to highly emotional content. In these contexts, the risk is not only the virality of news, but also the rapidity with which distorted interpretations, alarmism, and narratives lacking scientific foundation can be established", remarks Professor Caterina Rizzo of the University of Pisa. The RISP report examines the online conversation about Hantavirus and Ebola using quantitative monitoring of web and social content via the Extreme platform, qualitative analysis of viral content on Instagram and TikTok, monitoring of launches by major Italian news agencies, and analysis of user searches via Google Trends.
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