A Dashboard Approach to Monitoring Mpox-Related Discourse and Misinformation on Social Media

TL;DR

This paper presents a dashboard tool for real-time monitoring of mpox-related social media discourse and misinformation, aiding public health efforts during outbreaks.

Contribution

It introduces a new interactive dashboard for visualizing and analyzing mpox-related tweets to support health communication and misinformation tracking.

Findings

Tweet volume increased after mpox was designated an emerging virus.

Dashboard effectively visualizes social media trends and misinformation.

Supports public health response with real-time data analysis.

Abstract

Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is a zoonotic disease caused by an orthopoxvirus closely related to variola and remains a significant global public health concern. During outbreaks, social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) can both inform and misinform the public, complicating efforts to convey accurate health information. To support local response efforts, we developed a researcher-focused dashboard for use by public health stakeholders and the public that enables searching and visualizing mpox-related tweets through an interactive interface. Following the CDC's designation of mpox as an emerging virus in August 2024, our dashboard recorded a marked increase in tweet volume compared to 2023, illustrating the rapid spread of health discourse across digital platforms. These findings underscore the continued need for real-time social media monitoring tools to support public health communication and track evolving sentiment and misinformation trends at the local level.